Serendipity
by TerraGram
Summary: Mayu had always felt that her life was lacking excitment. However, she never wanted to be the one to be scouring the New World for her occupationally confused brother on the ship of a redhead with extensive anger problems.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hey everyone! This is my first fanfic, I hope you really enjoy it and reviews are always welcome :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any associated characters. However I do own Mayu and her fat ass.

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Things have a funny way of working out sometimes. Life seems to be leading you in one direction; your life seems to be running along smoothly, it isn't perfect but makes you smile and think "My, I feel rather content with how my life is going." Then suddenly Fate and Destiny, come along, knock you out and leave you in the middle of the woods just for giggles.

Many people aren't aware when this certain act has happened to them. They just continue living life, until they stop, take a moment and ask themselves "How the hell did I get here?"

A twist in ones life was just about to happen to an eight-year-old girl. Not that she knew what was coming as she dozed off underneath the apple trees in the orchard behind her grandparents home, but Fate and Destiny were about to direct her into a life filled with unnaturally smoky bars, an occupationally confused brother and of course a red-head with an extensive anger problem.

"Mayu!" The voice echoed off the numerous apples trees and caused the young girl to open her eyes dreamily. The long blades of grass tickled at the palms of her hands as she pushed herself off the ground and looked in the direction of the voice. The corners of her mouth frowned slightly when she saw whom the voice was coming from. In the distance Mayu could see the figure of her grandmother standing on the backdoor steps of their small cottage. A long sigh escaped her lips as she shoved herself off the ground and began to trudge her way towards the daunting outline of her grandmother. Mayu dreaded talking to her grandmother truth be told she had neglected all her chores today. But in her opinion no one in their right mind would spend the day inside sweeping and doing laundry on a beautiful day like today. The sun was shining warmly down on the small island and the apple trees were in bloom, no way was she going to scrub her brothers underwear on a day like today. As her grandmother became clearer, Mayu's dread increased. Her grandmother stood with her hands on her hips, looking in many ways unamused.

"Where have you been child?" She asked, annoyed.

Mayu glanced down at her feet not wanting to make eye contact with the vexed old woman. "I was just in the orchard…"

Grandmother can be a very intimidating person at times, especially to an eight year old. She had away of making you feel small with the way of looking down her nose at you and placing her hands on her hips, giving off the impression she was about to deal with a hardened hooligan, not an eight year old girl.

Bringing her hands to her hips, she began to give Mayu that awful look. Leaning forward slightly, she asked "Why where you doing that? You know I asked you to bring in the laundry about an hour ago."

Mayu shuffled uncomfortably under her gaze. She knew her grandmother was right, and Mayu had intended fully to do what was asked of her, however the adventures that awaited her in the orchard were far too tempting to let alone. Mayu glanced guiltily over her shoulder at the clothes blowing gently in the breeze.

"I don't know…" she answered sheepishly, "I just thought..."

"You just thought what, my dear?" the woman asked raising an eyebrow expectantly.

"Nothing." The young girl mumbled, looking down at her old brown sandals. The older woman let out a sigh before placing a firm hand on Mayu's shoulder. The young girl looked up into the faded blue eyes. Her grandmother may have been pretty at one point, but as of now her face was worn down from age and days spent under the blazing sun.

"Come on inside, Mayu," She said as she turned, her purple skirt flowing behind her, " your brother will be home soon and we need to fix dinner."

Mayu scrunched her nose a little as her grandmother lead her inside. In her opinion it wasn't fair, her brother, Sebastian was allowed to go down to the shore and work with the fishermen, and she had to stay at home and clean his underwear.

'Planning for his future.' Their grandfather would say when ever Mayu questioned the unjust situation. Every man in their family had been in the Marines, counting back four generations. Though Mayu would never tell her Grandfather, but she knew for a fact that Sebastian wanted nothing to do with the Marines, however neither her or Sebastian had the heart to tell him.

The cottage where Mayu lived wasn't very big but was comfortable. The downstairs consisted of one room, one part being the kitchen and the other a sitting room with a rather large fireplace. The upstairs on the other hand consisted of three rooms, two being bedrooms and the other a washroom.

As Mayu made her way after her grandmother, she could see her grandfather in his usual place by the fire, his nose deep in a the newspaper.

"Would you look that this!" The old man roared suddenly. This outburst nearly causing Mayu to drop the plates she was bringing to the table.

"What is it Phillip?" the old woman asked not even looking up from the carrots she was cutting.

"I can't believe this Marie," he continued, getting up from his seat with surprising speed and shuffling his way over to his wife, shoving the newspaper under her nose. She put her knife down and took the paper, holding it out a little in front of her.

"Why, Phillip, don't get so worked up! It's just some silly talk about pirates." She said dismissing the old man's dismay and continuing her cooking.

"You know when _I_ was a marine," The old man began.

Mayu rolled her eyes and sat down at the table as her grandfather began one of his _'when I was a young marine'_ stories.

"Pirates were caught and executed! There should be none of this _Shichibuki_ nonsense!"

"Yes, dear." Marie answered not looking up from her cooking. " Now will you please sit down? If you aren't careful you'll throw out your back from all your ranting."

The old man grumbled something before taking his usual stop at the table. He always did that, always complained about how the World Government was running things. In his opinion all pirates should be killed, not given special treatment, as he put it. But to Mayu, she had never understood why her grandfather hated pirates so much. They couldn't all be bad people, could they? Mayu's train of thought was interrupted by the soft clunk of a plate of food being placed in front of her.

To her the meal looked amazing, juicy sliced of ham with steaming carrots and peas, and of course applesauce. When you grow up on an island that is mostly dominated by orchards, apples become a regular part of one's diet. She reached for her fork but stopped abruptly when receiving a very disapproving look from her Grandmother.

"You should wait for your brother, he should be home any minute," she said sternly. Mayu looked away from her and put the fork down quietly. Another fact that always seemed to make Mayu's nerves twinge was that if she was ever late for dinner she would receive a nice tongue-lashing, Sebastian on the other hand would get an extra helping of dessert. Mayu really didn't hold this type of treatment against her grandmother, she had come to the conclusion that it was only because her grandmother was living in the _Olden Days._ One occurrence that stood out in her mind was a time when she had come home from school after playing in the small creek right out side the school. Mayu had fallen in, ripping the knee of her pants and getting covered in mud. The first thing that had escaped her grandmothers lips were complaints about how _unlady like_ Mayu had acted. In the old woman's opinion Mayu should be wearing pretty dresses and play with dolls, like all the nice girls in town. But, that was never going to happen.

The front door swung open causing the occupants of the home to jump. The very lanky, wisp of a boy with black hair and blue eyes stormed into the house and took his seat beside his little sister, ruffling her hair affectionately. Thwarting his hand away Mayu narrowed her eyes at him as he began to spoon large amounts of food into his mouth.

"How was your day, Seb?" the boy's grandmother asked giving a slightly disdained look at his table manners. Sebastian only grunted a rather perturbed look coming over his calm features.

"Now what has your panties in a bunch, lad?" Grandfather asked raising a curious brow.

"Today was a little trying." Sebastian grumbled as he shoved peas and carrots into his mouth.

"Awe sweetheart, what happened?" The old woman placed a concerned hand on Sebastian's shoulder, which he quickly shrugged off.

"Some stupid kid, that I never saw before showed up," his voice was filled with resentment, "And he had the nerve to walk up and demand a ship! What kind of idiot would do that? It was as if he owned the place! He was such a cocky little…" Sebastian trailed off when he got a warning glance from his grandmother.

"So what the fishermen do?" Mayu asked her interest in the subject rising; it wasn't usual for someone new to come to the island, especially a child. Mayu wasn't the type to question her brother's life, mostly because if he was to tell her all the details she would be overcome with jealous at the fact his life was far more interesting than her's.

"Well of course they told him to bugger off!" He answered. Violently scooping more food into his mouth. Mayu looked at her brother with a piqued gaze, she would swear that boy could eat their family out of house and home if his grandparents let him. Which brought the more relevant question to Mayu's mind, why wasn't her brother unbelievably fat?

"Well no need to worry about him anymore," The old man said matter-of-factly before turning his attention back to his own food.

"Yeah well, he had stupid hair…" Sebastian grumbled.

"What it look like?" Mayu asked curiously. One thing that you would find different from Mayu and her brother was that fact that when Sebastian found something "stupid" Mayu on the contrary would find in "interesting" and something that would defiantly be worth investigating.

"Red, And spiky, it stuck up like it was defying gravity or something," Sebastian ranted "he looked like… like… some stupid porcupine that went and got itself caught on fire and didn't have the brains to go put itself out."

Mayu's jaw dropped slightly. She stared at her brother for a minute, waiting. When he didn't continue his rant, she felt a little disappointed. She had really hoped that Sebastian would have come up with an insult that was _remotely_ better than that. Or at least continue telling her about the strange boy he had met. After all, its not everyday a boy with "porcupine-on-fire" hair comes to town. Mayu smiled to herself, this boy had caught her special attention and she fully intended to find out what he as all about, even if it meant wandering around all of tomorrow looking for him.

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**A/N:** Well that's it for the first chapter ! Kid will be making his dramatic entrance in chapter two! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it !


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece or any associated characters. However I do own Mayu and her fat ass.

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The room was dark, as Mayu lay awake in her bed. She stared blankly at the ceiling before shifting onto her side. Pulling the blanket over her shoulder, Mayu looked out her window at the moonlit orchards. Something about the peacefulness of the scene before her tugged on her nerves. It was too _peaceful_. Everything in her life had been uneventful; nothing exciting ever seemed to happen to her or on this island for that matter.

Mayu sat up abruptly in bed. She smirked to herself; she had figured it out. Straining her ears, she listened carefully for any signs of movement from her grandparent's room across that hall. The sound of their soft breathing was all that could be heard. Mayu swung her legs over the side of her bed. A faint shiver crawled up her spine when toes make contact with the wooden floor. Mayu held her breath as she tiptoed across the floor to Sebastian's bed.

"Sebastian…" Mayu whispered as she reached the side of the bed. She waited there, hoping that the dark sleeping form would make some sound to let her know it had heard her. A grunt, a mumble, anything would have been enough to satisfy the young girl, however as the seconds dragged by, impatience began to over come the girls small form.

"Sebastian!" The name came from between the girl's teeth in a low hiss as she gave the boy a rather hard jab to the shoulder with her finger.

"What do you want, Mayu?" the black mass of Sebastian's body groaned.

"I just had an epiphany," Mayu breathed close to her brother's face.

"Oh really, that's just _so great_. Tell me in the morning."

The young girl narrowed her eyes at her brother's answer. It was very apparent to her that at this moment in time Sebastian had very little interest in the life changing idea she had just came up with. Fully ignoring her brother's wishes, Mayu proceeded to crawl into his bed and snuggle up against his back.

"What _ARE_ you doing?" his voice was filled with surprise as he sat up in bed and stared down at the much smaller person. His face could have been a look of annoyance, or curiosity, Mayu couldn't tell. The darkness of the room blurred his face beyond recognition. Either way she did not care.

"You have to listen to me!" her voice had become more urgent as she looked at the dark outline. Mayu knew very well that her brother's current silence meant he was weighing his options. No one could be sure what was exactly going through Sebastian's head at this time, but it was most likely along the lines of either kicking his little sister from his bed or take the good older brother route and hear her out. The boy let out a sigh and flopped down next to his little sister. Placing his hands on his face he cursed his inability to say no to his sister, this complex was going to bite him in the ass in the future. He just knew it.

"Okay, what is this _oh so amazing it couldn't wait till morning_ epiphany?"

Pride began to swell up in the girl's chest; she thought he would never ask.

"Well, basically," the girl began, "I plan to sneak on a ship and make my way to the Grand Line." At the end of this sentence, Mayu could be fully compared to a peacock, pompous and overall haughty with their display. To her the plan was brilliant, and of course foolproof.

"Ah, and what do you exactly plan on doing once you have successfully snuck on a ship and made it to the Grand Line?" There was a hint of amusement in Sebastian's voice. Mayu's haughtiness began to fade, truth be told she had never thought that far, she had figured that everything would fall into place once she was there. A powerful pirate crew would pick her up and of _course_ make her captain because of her overall intelligence, isn't that how everything works?

"I… really haven't thought that far ahead." Mayu admitted, pulling sheepishly at the corner of Sebastian's sheet.

"Of course you didn't," unknown to Mayu a smirk had made its way onto her brother's face. Mayu felt herself deflate even more; her amazing, yet unfinished plan had been foiled by her brother's _logic._

' He is such a Debbie Downer' Mayu thought to herself as she sat in silence of a few seconds brooding over the failure of her plan. Sensing her dismay, Sebastian placed a comforting hand on her slender shoulder.

"Squirt, look," he said gently, " I know this place is too small for you, but you need to bare it for a little longer. No eight year old should set out on their own. Especially to a place as treacherous as the Grand Line."

"Why not?" the girl questioned defiantly, "If I'm going to be great might as well start as soon as possible."

Sebastian let out a very long sigh, "Okay. How about you come down to the marina with me tomorrow? See how things work?"

The excitement in Mayu's chest began to well up like a volcano close to eruption.

"Really?" she squealed loudly. A hand quickly shot up and covered the girl's mouth. Once the hand was removed Mayu whispered an almost inaudible sorry. The two children sat in silence, straining their ears in hopes that Grandmother had not heard Mayu's sudden outburst; if she had, there would be hell to pay. Once sure that there was no movement from across the hall Sebastian relaxed and turned back to his sister.

"Yes really," he breathed, " but you have to promise not to do anything stupid, got it?" The last part of his sentence sounded more like an order to Mayu.

"I got it! I _swear_." The eight year old squirmed eagerly in her seat on the bed while her mind flooded with the possibilities that awaited her.

"Good, now go to bed." Sebastian turned on his side as he dismissed Mayu. However the girl didn't move right away. Instead, she looked reluctantly from her dark bed on the other side of the room back to Sebastian's outline. Her mind began to swirl with the horrors that could be awaiting her if she were to get off the bed and make the perilous journey across the room.

"Uhm…"

"Get in." he huffed no even looking at his younger sister. A grin spread across her small features as she crawled underneath the covers.

"Some sea tyrant you are going to be," he teased, " I haven't heard of any pirates that are afraid of the dark."

"Shut up." Mayu cuddled up against her brother's back. This was only a one-time thing. But for tonight Sebastian was going to be the one to protect her from god knows what hiding in the shadows. A giant spider perhaps? Or even a monster from the sea here to kidnap her and Sebastian. 'Whatever it is,' Mayu thought to herself as her eyes started to close and sleep began to take her, 'I'll go after it in daylight, with a sword or broom or something.'

Shifting uncomfortable on the stone fence, Mayu let out a lethargic sigh. She had thought that the marina would have been far more exciting than this. Though she had not known fully what to expect, a man falling into the water a pulling and small fish from his pants was a far cry from what she wanted to see. The other men laughed fully heartedly at the scene while Mayu cast them a rather disinterested look. In her opinion the last two hours had been a total waste of time and time spent doing chores would have been more exciting than this.

Though she had to admit watching brother was a sight to behold. Sebastian was so skinny it would wow almost anyone to see him lift such large pieces of wood by himself. Mayu shot her brother a sympathetic look when he looked her way, she felt rather bothered by the fact that it seemed Sebastian was the only one working while the other men just stood around. The fishermen were gathered in a group on the deck talking about various things Mayu couldn't be concerned with. With a narrowed look she took in their appearances; they were large men, with skin that resembled leather, a lifetime of hard work showing in their faces. Mayu huffed at this point, she had no idea how that could possible be, especially since they were standing around gossiping like little girls.

Gently lowering herself from the fence Mayu turned to make her way back to town. She knew her brother wouldn't miss her; he was too busy being exploited.

It was unusually hot for a spring day in the little town. Most people had taken refuge on their porches with tall glasses of apple juice. Every so often Mayu would receive a wave or head nod from a passer-by. As she continued her way down the dirt path, the abundance of trees slowly faded out and were replaced with small wooden homes. All of them were charming in a special way, each having a unique flare. The doors were all different in colour; reflecting the ocean. Turquoise, sea-foam green, and coral were among the most common colours.

Hands quickly came to Mayu's stomach when she heard it give a rather loud gurgle. She had been so bored that she fully neglected her stomach it seemed. She looked around her, surprised. She had barely noticed that she was now standing in the center of town. There wasn't anything spectacular apart from the large fountain. It stood in the middle of the square, its multiple mouths shot out jets of water in an intricate pattern. The bottom level of the fountain had jets that sprayed out in criss-cross motions, stopping just before the marble edge. In the middle stood a rather large sea horse. Its head rearing back spewing out water.

Mayu felt the mist on her face as she drew closer, sliding off her sandals she hoisted herself up onto the white marble edge. Dangling her feet in the water she dug deep into her pockets in hope that she could buy something to eat. A frown appeared on her face when she saw the contents of her hand, a button and some pocket lint. She wouldn't be able to buy much with that.

Leaning back on her hands she looked around at the town, hoping to see someone she could bum money off of. Unfortunately, her eyes were met with only the identical buildings surrounding the square. Each building had a green roof and small porch. The only way a tourist would be able to tell the Bakery from the Doctor's Office was by the rather large signs that hung form each building. It was then that her eyes settled on the Bakery's sign. Her stomach gurgled once again. The word Bakery was sketched deep into the wood sign in swirling letters that much resembled the waves on the ocean. Each letter was carefully covered in a gold paint, which matched the antique looking border that twirled down the edges. But the highlight of the sign had to be the pair of cupcakes that sat delicately under the writing, each appearing fluffy and scrumptious.

Mayu strained her eyes to see the goodies that lied behind the display glass. As far as she could see there were trays upon trays of cupcakes, and towers of cakes and boxes of fudge and lemon squares. Mouth watering Mayu glanced down at her hand and then back to the bakery.

'Maybe I could put it on my grandma's tap' she thought to herself, 'Mr. Buckery likes me enough…"

Reaching for her sandals Mayu's attention was drawn elsewhere by a pair of rather loud angry voices. Looking up quickly, she saw a red faced Mr. Buckery, the bakery owner, come storming out onto the small porch of his store with a very infuriated air coming off him. After a second of staring dumbstruck, Mayu noticed that Mr. Buckery was in fact holding a small boy by the scruff of his shirt.

"Thieves are not welcome in my store!" The old man bellowed as he tossed the boy off his porch. The boy landed with a loud thud on the dirt. He quickly corrected himself and turned to the old man, his body shaking slightly.

"Oh fuck you!" his voice was trembling with suppressed rage.

Eyes grew wide when the stranger's appearance registered in Mayu's mind. He must have been Sebastian's age, shorter by at least four inches though. He wore a raggedy looking navy blue t-shirt and a pair of kaki coloured shorts. However, the one thing that intrigued Mayu the most was his hair, standing up in various directions, bangs flopping over his eyes. It almost gave off the impression of fire. It was at that moment that Mayu knew this was the boy her brother had been complaining about.

Mr. Buckery had totally ignored the foul language that had just sprayed out of the young boy's mouth. He turned and walked back into his store, slamming the door for good measure. The boy stared at the closed door for a good ten seconds before turning on his heel and fuming down the path. Maybe he thought if he stared long and hard enough the building would spontaneously combust.

Watching after the boy Mayu leaped from her perch and preceded to follow. Following at a good distance, every so often Mayu would hear a string of profanity, usually aimed at Mr. Buckery.

"Damn old man… All I wanted was a sandwich…" as to express his anger he drew back his leg and kicked a large stone on the path in front of him. Whatever his plan was, it seemed to have backfired. He let out a yelp of pain and took his foot in his hands. Mayu winched slightly at this display, any normal person would have realized that a stone that large would not comply with the kick of a boy as scrawny as this one. However, after contemplating for a few seconds Mayu decided the boy was just stupid.

"DAMMNNIITT" he cried, hopping around on his uninjured leg. He began to hop in circle but stopped abruptly when he noticed he wasn't alone.

Mayu felt the awkwardness of the situation set in. His stare of surprise had turned into a full on death glare. The young girl had never seen eyes that intense before, unnerving even. The dark circles surrounding them emphasized the hate that was pouring out of them onto her. A shiver ran up her spine, no one had ever looked at her like _that_ before. Mayu decided that this boy was much scarier than her grandmother and that was saying something.

"Uhm… hi." She smiled and gawkily rubbed the back of her head. Her mind was running a mile a minute. Searching for a reason, _any_ reason, this boy would be giving her such a look. After an intense brainstorm Mayu concluded that the kid didn't know how to be social. And it was her calling in life to be his teacher.

"Fuck off."

Mouth dropping slightly, the shocked young girl watched as the boy limped away. It took only a moment for her brain to reboot and for shock to turn into anger.

'Did he really just say that to me? I was _trying_ to be nice, and that's how he acts? What a _dick_!' At this point Mayu had decided three things about this individual. One being, that he pissed her off _a lot_. That his hair on closer inspection looked like the colour of apples in her opinion and that, finally, she was going to force her friendship on that guy and he would have no choice but to accept it. Mayu was not one to be insulted without reason and do nothing about it.

"Hey, don't gimp away from me!" she called after him. Either he didn't hear her or was ignoring her. Most likely the latter. With surprising speed Mayu closed the distance between the boy and herself. After passing his small stature, she planted herself firmly in his way, determination oozing out of her every pore.

The redhead stopped a few feet away, the same burning look plastered in his face. Mayu refused to be swayed for a second time. With a lot on concentration the girl tried to glare back at him just as hard. Though she doubted her face was as intimidating as his; she didn't really have much in that department. The staring mach continued for what seemed like hours. Mayu allowed no emotion to appear on her face other than hatred, enough to match his. During the minutes that seemed like an eternity, Mayu made a few observations. The first being that the boy was scrawny, almost unnaturally skinny. He was also short for a boy his age. She would wager he was around 12 and only stood at 4'5". In conclusion, if the boy decided to get physical, Mayu could take him, she hoped. He was only two inches taller than her after all.

"What do you want?" he growled not taking his eyes off the roadblock.

Face relaxing, Mayu felt a little victorious; after all it wasn't her composure that broke first.

"Wow, you are able to speak without swearing! I was a little worried about you!" she smiled mockingly sweet. This he did not like. His grimace only deepened and his eyes grew dangerously dark.

"Well… I haven't seen you around before, are you new?" she chewed on her cheek.

"None of your business."

The redhead stomped pass, giving the girl a rather hard knock in the shoulder while he did. Undeterred by this act of violence Mayu followed after him.

"I'll take that as a yes."

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**A/N**: I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)


	3. Chapter 3

Well, here we go ! I want to thank everyone who reviewed :) I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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"Would you go away?" Kid cried in desperation at the young girl following him. This game had been going on for the last few hours. Mayu would follow the fuming boy, only to be yelled at to go away every couple minutes. However, as loud as Kid yelled and as hard as he tried to lose the girl, his efforts were futile. He felt as though his mind was going to explode.

"You don't talk much, do you?" The small voice made the young boy twitch, he wanted so badly for her to leave him alone. Ignoring the question he continued to trudge down the dirt path in hopes the girl would grow tired and run off, and die hopefully.

"What's your name?"

"Eustass Kid." The boy sighed in irritation.

"That's a weird name."

Mayu studied the boy as he trudged along in front of her. Smiling to herself, she began to hum. It started off as a soft melody, but gradually began to increase in volume and pitch.

As she continued to hum, the boy began to tense. Knowing very well that Kid hated her humming, she only got louder. By doing this, maybe he would actually pay attention to her and say something other than _go away_ or _fuck off_.

With great speed the boy pivoted around, stopping to face the girl. His non-existent eyebrows where scrunched and he had a very unpleasant scowl on his face.

"Will you stop?" Kid's voice came out in a low hiss. This girl had worked her way onto his last nerve and he had no idea how much longer he would be able to put up with it before straggling her. The humming abruptly stopped and a look of surprise flicked across Mayu's face before a mischievous smile took its place. Kid had reacted just as she had anticipated.

"Did you know you have no eyebrows?"

The next few weeks seemed to blend together in a blur. It was by far the most exciting few months in Mayu's whole life. Though most of the time she could be found chasing after Kid, it was a lot better than chores. Her grandmother seemed happy that she had found herself a friend. If she knew who this friend was, however, it is doubtful that she would have the same opinion. Not that you could really call the relationship between Kid and Mayu a friendship, it was closer to a parasitic relationship; the harder Kid would try to get away from Mayu the more determined she would become.

"Hey wait up!" Mayu gasped as she followed Kid up a rather large incline. They had been running around the island all day, through the fields, the orchards, to the marina and back again. Over the last few months Kid had began to slightly tolerate the younger girl's presence, instead of yelling at her or threatening to kill her with a stick he had found, Kid simply ignored her. On occasion answering a question with a grunt or a nod.

Kid cocked his head to the side on hearing Mayu's plea. For a moment she thought he was going to stop and wait for her, however, Kid clambered quickly over the rock blocking the path and disappeared from view.

"What a douche." Huffing, the young girl pulled herself over the rock, tumbling to the ground on the other side. After fuming over how bad a day she was having Mayu got up and followed in the direction she was sure Kid had gone. The path was brightened by the rays of the sun that were making their way through the branches of trees that stood on either side. It wasn't until Mayu reached the end of the path did she see Kid again. The bushes had cleared to reveal a bluff over looking the ocean; the bluff had always been Mayu's favourite place to go; the most beautiful place on Earth in her opinion.

"Gorgeous isn't it?" Mayu asked as she sat next to Kid in the grass. She hadn't expected him to answer; she had been doing most of the talking for the last couple months anyways. Mayu glanced over at the boy out of the corner of her eyes. To her, he seemed to have changed. His eyes were lax and a look of tranquility had taken over his face, something Mayu would wager was very rare. Looking back at the ocean, the girl could understand how Kid was feeling. The ocean had always acted like a calming drug for her as well.

"You know…" Mayu began slowly, "If you really wanted that sandwich I could have bought it for you." Kid turned his head to look at her. This was the first time he had looked at Mayu without the homicidal glare she had become so accustomed to.

Mayu shot Kid her best smile, "Cause you know, you really need to gain some weight. You look like a stick." The glare had come back to his face, only this time; Mayu could swear that a little red had flushed on his cheeks.

"Shut up," he murmured looking away. The two children fell into silence, listening to the sound of the crashing waves below them. Mayu hadn't realized how long they had been sitting there, until she noticed the sun was beginning to set. The pink and orange rays danced across the waves and lighted up the sky with the most stunning colours.

"What's your name?" the blonde startled slightly on hearing the voice. She hadn't expected Kid to say anything to her that wasn't an insult. It was kind of nice of him to ask her name; after all, they had known each other for months. 'Maybe he was starting to warm up to me?' Mayu thought.

"Mayu." She pulled her legs to her chest and eyed him curiously. His eyes were back on the sea, only this time he had an odd look on his face. It seemed as though he was considering something; every now and again he would give Mayu a quick glance and then look back at the sea. She felt her face grow hotter every time Kid glanced her way. His looks were making her self-conscious; this feeling was completely new to Mayu. A boy had never made her feel that way before. Maybe there was something on her face? Mayu instinctively brought her hand to her face, hoping that she would feel whatever he was looking at.

"I'm going to be Pirate King." Kid said matter-of-factly out of the blue. This was the last thing Mayu had been expecting to hear come from the boy's mouth. His eyes were intense as he scanned for her reaction, not liking what he saw, he became defensive.

"Don't think I can do it, do you?"

"I never said that," Mayu answered lowering her hand from her face, trying her best not to set off his mood.

"Then what was that look for?" his tone had grown suspicious. The young girl mulled over her answer for a minute, choosing her words warily.

"I didn't mean any harm. You just caught me off guard that's all. On this island, the only thoughts going through people's heads have to deal with how many apples a tree is going to produce." She chuckled as she said it. The sad thing was it was true. No one she had ever met had dreams as big as Kid's. She had to respect him for that.

"If that's your dream Eustass Kid, the you should go for it. Sometimes all we have in life is our dreams." Mayu smiled at him again, and for the first time he smiled back at her. Well it wasn't a smile, more along the lines of a smirk, but it was a start.

"You know what Mayu," he said as he got up and brushed off his shorts, "You aren't as big as an annoying bitch as I thought you were." He smirked down at her once again before heading back into the orchard. Mayu looked after him, confusion apparent on her face. She really didn't know if that was a compliment or not. After thinking about it for a while Mayu decided that was the best compliment he could come up with. An _Eustass-Compliment_, if you will. The blonde watched as the trees swallowed up his form and a wide smile spread across her face. Mayu felt rather pleased with herself, after all, she had succeeded in forcing her friendship on the strange boy.

In the weeks that followed the sunset at the bluff Mayu had come to the conclusion that Kid telling her his dream about wanting to be the Pirate King was his round about way of accepting her. After that evening Kid became more comfortable with Mayu hanging around, and even started a few conversations with her consisting of more than nods and grunts. A daily routine had formed from their friendship, Mayu would always spend hours searching for him and after finally finding Kid, she wouldn't leave his side.

The two would spend their days wandering around the island, finding new hiding places and swimming in one of the creeks that ran through the place. Kid would always talk about his plan of being Pirate King and explain every detail.

During the time Mayu spent with the older boy, his personality became very clear to her. He was cocky and overconfident; rude and a real bastard. But there was something about him that Mayu couldn't quite understand, something about him that transfixed her. It was on a particular August afternoon that Mayu realized how captivated she really was by the redhead_._

"On your knees _wench_!" The small boy cried as he leapt down from the bow of the abandoned fishing boat, swinging his imaginary sword high in the air. "You be on the ship of the mighty Pirate King! _Arrrrrrrr!_"

"Oh please have mercy!" Mayu cried, trying her hardest to sound like a desperate stowaway. _Pirates_ had become a common game for the two youngsters to play. Though it always had the same plot line; Kid would find Mayu hiding on his ship, chase her for a good five minutes, proceed to call her a wench and then kill her. To some people, being killed everyday wouldn't seem like the most gratifying game, but to Mayu it didn't matter as long as she was with Kid.

"Avast ye wench! The boys and I have no need for a landlubber like you! We the Kid Pirates give no quarter!" The redhead exclaimed, thrusting his invisible sword deep into the blonde's chest. Mayu clutched at her wound dramatically, before falling into the sand with a large thud.

"Y-you have slain me…" She gasped before taking one last rattling breath and dying. Mayu stayed perfectly still on the ground being the best dead person she could be. Keeping her eyes closed the eight year old could hear the muffled steps of Kid coming closer. The young boy peered down at the 'dead' girl feeling rather pleased with the outcome of the game.

"Hey get up." Kid nudged Mayu in the side with his toes. "I'm hungry and I know you brought food."

The young girl sat up and squinted at Kid's dark outline above her. Smiling, she stood up and ran over to the small backpack she had stowed underneath one of the trees on the edge of the beach. Hastily she zipped open the top and pulled out two sandwiches, passing the large one to Kid who had situated himself in the cool shade next to her.

"This is decent." The boy said slightly surprised, looking down at the sandwich he had just taken a bite out of.

"You like it?" Mayu blurted out a little too loud for her liking. Looking down, she tried to hide her embarrassment by unwrapping her own sandwich.

"Yeah. It's decent." Kid said again, acting as though he hadn't noticed the younger girl's outburst.

"My grandmother always said I had a talent for cooking, from my mother she says."

"Is that so?"

"But there was always something I was never too good at making," Mayu reached into her backpack once again, pulling out a small container of applesauce. "My grandmother made this with the apples from our orchard." Carefully removing the top, Mayu dipped her finger into the sauce and then into her mouth. The flavour exploded on her tongue; a mixture of spice and apple that Mayu loved.

"Is it really that good?" Kid eyed Mayu curiously as she devoured the contents of the container with great speed.

"Itsh gweart!" gushed the young girl with her mouth filled to the brim. A sly smile appeared on Kid's face as he continued to watch the girl. Once again, Mayu felt her face grow hot under his watch. It wasn't until the young boy leaned forward and brought a single finger up against her cheek did the heat rise to danger levels. The sly smile still plastered on his face, Kid placed the small amount of applesauce in his mouth.

"You're right, it's fucking delicious."

It wasn't uncommon for Sebastian to question Mayu about where she was going every day. He had begun to worry since it seemed he only saw his little sister at night. She knew very well that Sebastian would not approve of her new friend, she simply told him she was going on adventures. It wasn't a total lie; Mayu just left out the parts her brother would find unsightly. Now, Sebastian wasn't as big an idiot as many people had started to believe. He knew for a fact that his little sister was lying to him, and as the super protective older brother that he was, it was his job to find out what the hell she was doing with her time. Many horrible things had flashed through his mind on the summer day when he decided to tail her. Maybe she had joined some horrible gang bent on world destruction, or befriended a horrible pirate who's heart was filled with cruelty; these were only a couple of the farfetched things that Seb had come up with. It was a misty morning as Sebastian slipped out the front door a few minutes after he had heard Mayu leave. The whole situation was odd, he thought to himself, his sister was usually the last person up and as of right now the sun had just began to rise and their grandparents haven't even stirred. Quietly, the lanky boy darted from tree to tree as he followed the blonde down the path through the orchard. He watched as Mayu practically skipped down the path to her destination. Scrunching his eyebrows he continued to follow; Sebastian had no idea what could possibly make his sister so happy. Usually it was his job to make her happy, to be the person to cheer her up when she was down, protect from the world and its evils. But as he followed the unsettling feeling of being replaced started to wash over him. Had she found someone else to make her happy? To protect her? The whole idea of such a thing made Sebastian boil with anger. There was no way he was about to be replaced by some punk from this island.

During his mental rant the black haired boy had fallen behind his target. By this point Mayu had made it to the edge of the path that let out on the beach. Hurrying to catch up Seb saw his sister change dramatically, even though he could only see her back he was positive that she began to glow like a Christmas tree. Mayu waved her hand eagerly and then dashed out of view. Sebastian peered from behind one of the trees at the spectacle on the beach. Hands clenched into fists he glared at the boy who was, at the moment, chasing his darling little sister around an old boat with what appeared to be a crude excuse of a wooden sword. This was not okay. He was not about to sit back and let Mayu be corrupted by a little bastard like that.

Sebastian lurched forward, determined to go and rescue his sister from the clutches of that redheaded dumb ass. However, he suddenly stopped when he heard his sister laugh. It was a laugh he hadn't heard in a very long time. It wasn't the most attractive laugh, but it was one that he had missed hearing. A belly laugh escaped from Mayu's lips as she sat in the sand looking up at the bastard. Her face was cherry red and tears streamed from her eyes, laughing at some private joke Sebastian didn't understand. The boy stood watching the two for a few more minutes before turning to leave. He didn't like the idea of Mayu being friends with such a person, but if it made her that happy he would just have to endure it. However, if that bastard ever hurt his little sister, Sebastian swore to himself, to light the guy on fire.

Kid and Mayu remained friends for the summer, until the unexpected happened. Mayu was walking home from another day with Kid, happiness filling up her chest. The fall air nipped at her bare arms, though she hardly noticed it. Mayu pulled open the front door of the small cabin only to be greeted by her grandparents and brother sitting around the kitchen table. Sebastian looked up as his little sister walked in. His face looked as though he had lost his best friend. Dread began to wash over the girl's small body as she saw her brother's expression. Scanning her brother's face for answers, he glanced at her with sad eyes before looking away. The worry intensifying Mayu looked to her grandparents, both as stern and silent as she had ever seen them.

"Sweetheart," her grandmother began in a very quiet voice that Mayu hadn't heard in a long time. "Please sit down."

Mayu slowly made her way to the table and took a seat next to Sebastian. "Seb…?" The young girl asked questioningly only to have her brother not answer her.

The events that followed sent Mayu's mind into a whirl of uncertainty and fear. It turned out that her grandparents had decided that they were becoming too old to look after the two properly. So the solution that they had come up with was that they were going to ship Mayu and Sebastian out to the Sabaody Archipelago.

"It's a brilliant idea." Mayu heard her grandfather say as she looked down at the table, trying to contain her tears. "You'll be able to get proper Marine training at the base, isn't that great Seb?" My grandfather never called Sebastian, Seb. On hearing him say it Mayu felt her stomach tighten with disgust and anger. She couldn't believe they were abandoning the both of them. An ominous air swirled around Sebastian as he stood up from the table.

"This is fucking stupid." He shoved his chair in with great force causing everyone at the table to flinch. Sebastian left without a word and went to his room, slamming the door with power strong enough to make the small building quiver.

The room was awkwardly silent. Mayu didn't dare say anything in fear she would begin to cry.

"While your brother is at the base," The old man's voice came out hoarsely, "You'll be staying with your Aunt Clara, Mayu."

The small blonde clenched and unclenched her hands; she couldn't believe this was actually happening to her. The unfairness of the situation ate at her brain like a parasite. The moment she had found a friend that she was able to relate to, someone that wasn't self-absorbed in their apple crazed lives, and it was being ripped away from her.

"May I go?" her voice came out more choked than she would have liked. Her eyes stung when she looked up at the two adults across from her. Her grandfather gave her a dismissing nod. She threw open the front door. Finding Kid was the one thing she needed to do. She had to tell him what was happening; maybe he would come up with a plan to stop all of this. 'We could run away together.' The thought ran through her mind at light speed. Mayu had never asked him this before, but maybe he would let her be part of his crew, after all every Pirate King needed a loyal crew.


	4. Chapter 4

**I would just like to take a moment to thank everyone who reviewed :) you guys make me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside :3**

**As you all know I do not own One Piece. I just own Mayu, and her fat ass.**

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The constant pounding of blood in her ears and huffing breaths were all Mayu could hear as she came to the bluff. It had been hours since she had left the small cottage in search of her friend, but he was nowhere to be found. The search had led Mayu to the various caves Kid and her had explored together, the old fishing boat where they had played, and to the creek where they had spent the hot summer days swimming. She had hoped that the redhead would have been at the bluff, the last place Mayu could think of.

After catching her breath, the young girl glanced around the small and empty bluff. The reality of the situation hung over Mayu like a dark cloud. This had to be a bad dream, she repeatedly told herself as she looked around the bluff for a glimpse of red. With no luck Mayu flopped down on the grass. Looking out over the hillside she felt the sting of tears in her eyes, everything was so unfair. The abandonment Mayu was feeling stung, but now her small chest tightened at the torment of knowing she wouldn't be able to find Kid. It was as though he had vanished off the face of the Earth and nothing the young girl could do would bring him back.

The next morning Mayu felt like a zombie. She felt as though she was detached from every task she undertook. Breakfast had no taste and the words her Grandmother spoke to her sounded muffled and distant. Sebastian wasn't any better, though he was feeling anger more than anything. Each word he spoke would be laced with maliciousness; he was not happy with the day's events and he was going to make sure everyone knew it.

"Mayu, it's time to go." The old woman's words floated through Mayu's ears as she stared out at the orchard; trying to memorize what it looked like. A hand was placed firmly on the young girl's shoulder leading her out the door and down to the marina.

A gasp escaped the girl's lips as she looked up at the ship towering over her. Never in her wildest dreams did she believe she would be able to ride on a ship as large as the one before her. It looked almost majestic against the quaint island atmosphere Mayu was so used to. She watched in awe as the white sails fluttered ever so slightly in the breeze. The thing that caught Mayu's eye the most however, was the word _Marine_ written in blue across the sail, the emblem stitched proudly below it. She stared at the ship, drinking every part of it. When Mayu's gaze came to rest on the large man standing by the ship an unsettling feeling grew in the pit of her stomach. He was the most intimidating man she had seen in her whole eight years of life. With each stride he took towards the family, the fear Mayu felt only intensified. To say the man was tall would be an understatement; he towered over her grandfather and made Mayu feel as though she was a mouse.

The next few events that took place in Mayu's life seemed to happen in a flash. Hugs and well wishes from her grandparents, the marine leading her and Sebastian towards the ship, and the island slowly becoming smaller.

Mayu stared out over the distance that had just been created between her and her old home. She traced the outline of the island with her eyes, longing to go back. Her eyes came to rest on the bluff and she could have sworn she saw a small blob of red waving its arms desperately in her direction as the ship made its way to the Grand Line.

A few weeks had passed since the siblings had left their home, and it had become very apparent to Mayu that the Grand Line was not a happy-go-lucky place.

If she were still on the island, she would be fast asleep in her bed. Instead Mayu clung desperately to Sebastian as the ship was pounded by an onslaught of waves. The storm had come out of nowhere and seemed that it wouldn't rest until the Marine ship was on the bottom of the ocean.

The young girl buried her face into her brother's chest as the ship gave another stomach churning lurch. In turn, the boy wrapped his arms around her, trying to calm her. He would never let on but he as well felt panic surge through his body every time the bedside table would slide from one side of the room to the other or when the howling wind knocked open the cabin door.

"Make it stop!" Mayu pleaded as her tears dampened Sebastian's white shirt, " I want to go home I don't want to be here, I want to be in the orchard, I want to see Kid!" She no longer kept her feelings in check. Mayu openly wailed, with enough vigor to rival the storm.

The dark haired boy bit back the jealous he felt prickle at his insides. There was no way the redhead would have been able to look after Mayu the way Sebastian did, and the older boy knew it; he was the only one his sister had. Sebastian looked down at the small body clinging and shaking against his. He racked his brain for something to say, anything. He never thought that the two of them would be in this situation; he could not find the words that would be able to reassure his little sister. Instead, he held onto her more tightly, hoping that his closeness would be enough to sooth her.

"Its okay, its okay…" Sebastian cooed as he stroked Mayu's hair.

The wind continued to howl and screech as the night went on. With every banshee-like cry Mayu buried her head deeper into the pillow in hopes that she could drown it out. Sebastian had left her alone in the room about ten minutes ago. The door had flown open again, only this time to reveal something more than an empty hallway. The marine was about 20 and he was soaked to the bone. He looked around the room wildly. When his eyes settled on the pair huddled on the bed, he thrusted a large finger in their direction.

"You," his voice was harsh with a hint of madness, "You're coming with me."

Mayu looked from the Marine to Sebastian and back again. He couldn't possible want her brother to help during a storm like this! He didn't have any experience with a large ship. Without a pause, the Marine closed the distance between himself and the bed. He grabbed Sebastian by the arm and pulled him to his feet.

"NO!" Mayu shrieked as she tried to reach for her brother. She didn't want to be alone. She needed her brother to make everything okay.

"Mayu, I'll be fine, trust me, I'll be back soon!" The older man pulled the young boy through the door and out into the chaos.

The girl clung to her pillow and stared at the wall, unmoving. Tears had long but since dried up and her body began to ache. The crying had left Mayu with an awful headache. With each pound of her head and violent rock of the ship she felt as though she was going to lose her mind. She would give anything to be back at home with her family and Kid.

"Hey, wake up." The voice sounded distant as Mayu opened her eyes. The room was blurry and her head felt heavy, and it would appear that a rather large blob had situated itself at the foot of the young girl's bed.

"Sebastian?" she rubbed at her eyes as the blob shook slightly with a soft chuckle.

"Not exactly." As her eyes began to focus, the young girl came to realize that the blob was in fact a large marine. The man was extremely tall and had light brown hair, freckled with grey. From his head to his toes he oozed the manliness, the one oddity about him though were his eyes. Mayu had never seen anything like them before. It looked as though smoke had gotten stuck in his head. The dark and light shades of grey swirled around his pupils like endless pools. Despite the cool colour of his eyes, they had a certain warmth about them. Something that invited Mayu in and wanted her to trust them.

The young girl stared up at the man who was standing by her feet with an acute look of curiosity.

"Your brother has already had breakfast and is helping the men at the moment." The man paused for a pregnant second, waiting for the girl to say something. When she said nothing, he continued, "Your brother was very helpful last night! He's going to make a great marine someday." He smiled down at Mayu with an intensity that could rival the sun.

Breaking her gaze away from the man, the girl swung her legs over the side of the bed and slipped on her shoes. She didn't know why this man was in her room, nor did she know why he was telling her about what a great marine Sebastian would be. After all, he would hate every minute of being a _great_ marine. Looking back at the man Mayu noticed him fidget nervously. It would appear that this marine wasn't very fond of awkward silences and really didn't know how to deal with a child who had been shipped off.

"Well…" the man scratched the back of his head, " I just came in here to see if you wanted some breakfast. I mean if you want some. You don't have to have any if you don't want to, I just thought you would be hungry." The last part of the sentence came out with great speed. Mayu was surprised at how fast the man's lips could move and how he could say so much on one breathe.

As to answer the marine's question the blonde's stomach gave out a rather angry sounding growl. Truth be, told Mayu hadn't eaten much since she had left home. The idea of being around all the marines made her feel uneasy. A few nights a week she would sneak from the small room to the kitchen, in hopes of finding something small to eat.

" I am a little hungry…"

"Well then! Let's get cooky to make us something yummy." He clapped his hands together and stopped at the door, giving Mayu a look to follow him.

Slipping off the bed with a creak, she had to hurry to catch up with the man's large strides. As she walked, Mayu kept her eyes on the wooden floor. She didn't want to make eye contact with anyone they might encounter; everyone was just scary.

Not paying attention, Mayu ran into the back of the brown-haired man who had stopped abruptly. Her hand instinctively shot to her nose; it stung slightly from the impact.

"You should watch where you're going." The man smiled disarmingly down at Mayu again. Diverting her eyes down to the floor again, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"You know, you can look and talk to me, I'm not going to bite."

Mayu looked up at the man and nodded. She hated to admit it, but with this man she couldn't help but feel safe. A feeling she thought only Sebastian and Kid could make her feel. She smiled at the man. Maybe it wasn't a bad thing to have a friend on this trip.

Over the course of the next couple months Mayu and the Marine had become very close. When Sebastian was busy, she would seek the marine out for company. He had come to be something Mayu had never really had; a father figure. However, she had never come to learn his name; not that that fact bothered her at all, the young girl was quite content with referring to him as _her_ marine. Meeting that man had been one of the best moments in Mayu's life. He was always there when she needed him and he had become her companion. Someone she could go to in tears about missing home, and someone to open up to about anything.

The candle flickered and danced beneath Mayu's eyes as she sat in the kitchen, resting her head on the table. The Marine ship was almost at the end of its journey, and a little part of Mayu's heart ached. She knew that she would have to say goodbye to the man that made the trip bearable.

"Isn't it past your bed time?" The voice startled the young girl. Sitting up she turned to see the marine standing in the doorway, his trademarked smile on his face.

"No." Mayu said simply.

"Is that so?" The man chuckled and walked over to the table, taking a seat across from the girl. "Then why is it that your brother is asleep before you? Doesn't the youngest always go to bed first?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about." A playful smile pulled at the little girls lips, "And besides, Sebastian sleeps too much."

The man smiled but said nothing. Reaching into his coat pocket he pulled out a dark green bottle. Removing the lid, he touched the head to his lips and took a big swig. Mayu watched him peculiarly; she had seen bottles like that before. Back on the island Kid and her would watch the sailors in the bar drink pints upon pints of that liquid. Ever since then Mayu had been curious on what exactly it was. The brown-haired man raised his eyebrow at Mayu when he noticed the questioning look.

"It's rum." He said matter-of-factly, a grin appeared on his face as he continued, "Want a taste?" Mayu felt her eyes grow wide. She never thought he would actually offer her some.

"Yes!" the girl exclaimed a little louder than expected. Reaching out she took the bottle from the marine and gave it a slight sniff. It smelt spicy and inviting. However, when she felt the contents of the bottle hit her tongue and back of her throat, Mayu let out a horrible gagging sound. Making a disgusted face, she handed the bottle back to the now laughing marine.

"That tasted horrible! It burned all the way down…" The girl frowned at the marine whose fits of laughter were starting to lessen.

"What were you expecting?" The man asked taking a swig of the horrid liquid.

"I don't know… Nothing like that, my friend told me it would taste good. He said when he had it, it tasted like honey."

"I'm afraid deary," The marine said eyeing Mayu, "That your friend is a liar. Or, has malfunctioning taste buds."

The girl scrunched her face at the man on hearing him calling Kid a liar. It may be true, but he didn't have to voice it so openly. She didn't want to believe Kid lied to her, but after that little experience there was hardly any doubt.

"Oh what an ugly face," The marine teased, "This friend of yours must have been special? A boy? A love?"

On the word _love_ Mayu felt her face explode with heat. She had never before thought of Kid being a _love._ The word almost sounded foreign to her young mind. Sure, they had spent all their time together, and sure he was a boy and she was a girl but there was _no way_ that he could be considered her first love. That's why, Mayu didn't understand why her body was responding they way it was. Face red, heart pounding, it didn't make any sense.

"Don't say stupid things!" the girl choked, willing her face to cool down and go back to normal.

"Stupid? Judging by your face, I'd say I hit the nail right on the head. No wonder you were so upset about leaving, a first love is a precious thing."

"Yeah, well, I'm never going to see him again so it doesn't matter." Mayu pouted, a sadness washing over her.

"You never know," The marine said getting up and walking over to the girl, "We live in a very small world, and personally, I think anything is possible! For all you know, years down the road you could find him again." He placed a reassuring hand on Mayu's head, ruffling her hair. "Now get to bed."

The words her marine had said echoed over and over again in her head as she lay in bed. Maybe he was right, she might see Kid again. Mayu giggled to herself as the scene played out in her mind. The two of them would meet again years later, Kid would be a captain and beg for Mayu to join his crew and they would sail off into the sunset together. Taking on whatever the world threw at them, overcoming every obstacle with grace; since, in the mind of an eight year old, everything in life works out perfectly.

The day had come so quickly. It seemed as though only a week ago Mayu and Sebastian were being walked down to the marina. But now, as the journey drew to an end, the young girl's mind had come to focus on a new adventure, living with Aunt Clara. Mayu could never really remember her grandparents talking about her Aunt Clara very much when she had lived with them. She had always figured since she wasn't blood related to them she wasn't high on the topic list, though as the ship neared the Archipelago, the exact reason would be brought to light. On first arriving Mayu thought she was in a dream. Everything seemed so magical in her young eyes. The bubbles floating all around them seemed as though they had drifted out of her own personal dreamland.

"See it isn't that bad!" Sebastian joined his sister at the side of ship, drinking in the surroundings. "Maybe Aunt Clara will be really nice? I mean look at this place; you'd have to be a fun person to live here!"

Mayu smiled up at her brother. He was probably right, this place was fantastic, and no way some cranky old prune could live in a place like this.

When the boat docked, Mayu was the first to touch land. Excitement raced through her as she looked for her aunt. Those horrid weeks spent on ocean seemed to be worth it. Everywhere she looked her eyes found something new to gawk at. The buildings towered over her; never did she once think a place like this would become her new home.

"Don't go running off." The voice had come from behind the young girl. The tall marine put his hand on her shoulder and led her back to where Sebastian was waiting.

"Got a little excited, eh?" The man said in a whisper as they walked back to the group. Mayu blushed slightly and nodded her head. The marine chuckled slightly to himself before continuing. "You have to be very careful around here," his voice had suddenly grown serious, a tone she had never heard her marine utter.

"What do you mean?" squinting up at the man; she could see the concern in his face as he looked back down at her. He looked around before bringing his eyes to rest on Mayu's face.

"This place isn't like the little island in the South Blue," he knelt down and placed both hands on the girl's shoulders. "You have to promise me not to do anything stupid, and to never walk around alone. Especially, at Sabaody Park." Nothing her marine was saying was making sense to the young girl, why in the world would he be so worried? After all, this place was a paradise, how could anything horrible happen to her here?

"I promise." Mayu said quietly, trying her best not to look away from the Marine's eyes. There was something about them that day that she would never forget. Deep with the swirling pools there was concern and maybe even a little bit of love.

"Good." The marine stood up and cleared his throat. "We should get back to the group." The blonde allowed for herself to be ushered back to the group of marines.

"What was that about?" Sebastian asked out of the corner of his mouth when his sister came to stand beside him. The girl merely shrugged, Sebastian didn't need to know what her marine said. If her brother knew of any possible dangers, he would worry even more about Mayu's well being than he already was.

"It's time to go." The same marine who had dragged Sebastian out into the storm was once again standing in front of the siblings. To Mayu, he looked as mean as he had on that night. Letting out a large sigh, the boy threw his bag over his shoulder and turned to his sister, a crestfallen look on his face.

"Mayu, I'm really…"

"I'll be fine." The girl reassured trying her best to smile. She didn't need her brother worrying about her. He needed to think of himself for once.

"If you ever need me I'll be at the Navy Base in groove 60."

"Sebastian. I know that."

"I'll try to visit you everyday."

The young girl was starting to lose her patience; the boy was never going to survive at the Navy Base if he could hardly hold himself together while saying goodbye. "Seb, I know you will visit me, but you should really go. They are leaving without you." Mayu nodded towards the large group of marines that were getting ready to head out.

"Right." Sebastian breathed, "Well, say hi to Auntie for me." He gave one last large smile before turning on his heel to join the men. Mayu watched her brother leave; a little disappointed she couldn't be with him anymore.

"He'll be okay you know." The brown-haired marine said from beside her.

"I hope." Mayu said not even looking up at the older man. She could tell he was fidgeting nervously; her marine never did deal well with goodbyes.

"I guess this is goodbye…" his voice came out in an awkward manner as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"I guess so."

The man cleared his throat, and held out his hand. Mayu glanced at the hand, a smile tugging at her lips. Her marine was by far one of the most funny, awkward and entertaining people she had ever met. Disregarding the hand, the young girl threw her arms around the marine's waist. Pressing her face against him.

"Goodbye." Mayu murmured against his stomach.

The girl felt the tension ease as her marine wrapped his arms around her.

"Goodbye squirt." The marine released the girl and smiled down at her. "I hope we meet again! Maybe when you're some fearless adventurer!"

"I'd like that." Mayu laughed. It was the first time since she had left Kid that she felt as though she had found a true friend. And she hoped with all her heart that she would be able to see this man again.

She watched as her marine jogged to catch up with the group of men and Sebastian. She memorized the way he walked; the way he held his head up proudly and the way his coat swished out behind him.

But now, there was something else to deal with. Mayu knew that her aunt would be waiting for her, the only problem was, she had never seen this woman before. On the trip over Mayu had tried to imagine what Aunt Clara would look like. On most occasions Aunt Clara had looked like her Grandmother in a way. Mayu figured her aunt would be a relatively short woman with mousy brown hair she kept in a ponytail. Of course her Aunt would own a small shop and have an apartment above it.

The young girl craned her neck trying to find someone that fit her mental image, anyone who was going to welcome her with open arms.

"Mayu?" The voice came from behind. Turning around Mayu felt the excitement well inside her. However, when she saw the woman behind her, Mayu thought life was playing a sick joke. The woman was tall and thin. Raven black hair fell to the mid of her back; a dark ring of make up circling her blue eyes; cigarette place delicately between red lips. The woman was striking to say the least, in a 'mess with me and I'll kill you' kind of way. Mayu was flabbergasted. Her aunt was not supposed to look like this, nor was she supposed to be wearing spike heels, skin-tight pants or a shirt that barely covered her ridiculously large breasts.

"Aunt Clara?" Mayu was afraid to hear the woman answer. She prayed that this was not the woman she would be living with for the rest of her life.

"Oh yeah sweetheart." The woman winked at her and young girl felt a chill crawl up her spine. There was no way she was going to survive this.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello Dear Readers!

So sorry I took so long to update, I have major procrastination issues. Though, my procrastination was due to the fact I was getting my cosplay for Anime North [I'm a wee bit jacked] BUT THAT IS NOT AN EXCUSE. Anyways, this chapter is shorter than I would have liked to make it, but I felt obligated to update since it has been awhile and I KNEW if I wrote anymore this chapter wouldn't be finished anytime soon. Hopefully you enjoy it anyways!

I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, alerted, favourited. You make me smile and feel all warm and fuzzy :3

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own One Piece.**

* * *

Never once in her life had Mayu ever suspected that she would have to live in a place like the lawless zone of the Sabaody Archipelago. The once innocent fascination she had held for her new home was now fading into a strong feeling of apprehension. With every step Mayu and her aunt took, the young girl felt as though she was spiraling deeper and deeper into a nightmare. The once friendly people had began to twist and morph into sinister figures; sitting in shadows eyeing her aunt as they walked by, lecherous smiles spreading across most of their faces. The bright buildings had lost their brilliance and had become far more dilapidated. To sum things up Mayu had never been more terrified in her life. The young girl focused her eyes on the ground before her; trying to imagine she was small and insignificant, in hopes that any possible threats would pass her by.

"Well here we are!" The older woman let go of her niece's hand and smiled down at her. Mayu felt her eyes grow wide as she gawked at what would become her new home. The building was very tall and had a small bar attached to it. A sign hung precariously off the side of the building reading _Clara's Red Light Lounge_ in faded maroon paint. Aunt Clara's smile faltered slightly as she watched the young girls face.

"Let's go meet everybody!" she grabbed Mayu by the hand and led her to the bar's entrance. The blonde's eyes began to burn and water as soon as the two passed the threshold.

It was as though Mayu had entered a whole new world, one that at her young age, she would not fully understand. The walls were red and dingy, with booths lining the walls and wooden tables in the center. The lights were set low, casting shadows across the faces of the men in the bar. Each turned to look at the two who had just walked in, grins turning to looks of confusion as their eyes traveled from Clara to her young companion.

"Getting them a little young, ain't ye Clara?" An older man with a lazy eye called from the far end of the bar. The older woman seemed to get a very dangerous aura around her. One that Mayu found very unsettling. The little girl winched as her aunt's hand tightened into a death grip around hers.

"I have no intention of using my niece for such things." The words escaped the woman's lips with a biting tone. " I would also appreciate if you never mention her in front of me again. Especially when it concerns certain affairs."

Mayu glanced around at the now quiet bar. The once leering men were now looking down at the drinks in their hands, refusing to make eye contact with Clara. Mayu shifted uncomfortably; the atmosphere turned incredibly awkward and to make matters worse the girl felt her hands grow clammy against her aunt's skin. With a rather hard tug the blonde was pulled towards a door located to the left of the bar.

Mayu whipped her neck from side to side, trying to drink in what she was seeing. The long hallway was a dark red with at least five doors on each side. Each donning their own number; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Mayu counted each number as she was continually yanked down the hall. Catching her niece's interest Clara opened her mouth and spoke in a very absolute tone, " You can't go into those rooms, they are designated for my employees and clients business meetings."

The girl looked up at her aunt, it seemed odd to her that someone would need so many rooms for _business_ meetings. Furthermore, why would a bar owner be holding meetings in the first place; and in such a dingy looking hallway. Questions upon questions ran through Mayu's mind, everything was so new to her.

"You're room is up here." Clara had come to a stop at the bottom of a very old looking staircase. The blonde studied the rickety looking stairs and mused if they would even be able to hold her weight.

"Get unpacked and I'll be back to get you in a few minutes." The woman completely ignored the hesitation the girl was obviously feeling.

"For what?" Mayu's voice came out far squeakier than she would have liked. What in the world would her aunt want with her now? All she wished to do was lie in her bed and think about how she was going to survive living in a place like this.

"Work." The word hit Mayu like a ton of bricks.

"Wh-what?"

"Don't stammer. Its very unattractive." The raven-haired woman looked down at the blonde with a look that could only be described as annoyance. " If you are going to be living here you have to earn your keep." With each word that escaped her aunt's lips Mayu felt as though she was going to be knocked over. There was no way her aunt could be serious. Right?

Before the girl could open her mouth in protest Clara turned on her heel and made her way back to the bar. "A few minutes!" She called over her shoulder as she disappeared into the smoke screen of the bar. Mayu looked after her aunt in complete shock. It was at that moment she decided that Sebastian was wrong and their aunt was definitely a witch, in the time it took to get from the docks to this little hell hole Clara had undergone an entire change in attitude, it was as though the smoke had brought out the bitch in her.

Grumbling to herself Mayu haled her body up the very dangerous looking set of stairs. With each step she took the landings would creak and protest at her as though she was doing something horrible to them.

On reaching the last step, Mayu came to a doorframe, which in fact, lacked a door. "Oh this just keeps getting better and better," The young girl bemoaned, walking into the room and placing her bag in the bed. A large puff of dust rose up into the air, much like a mushroom cloud after an explosion, when the bag made contact with the puke green covers. Hacking violently, Mayu took a step back and waved her hand in front of her face frantically trying to thwart the particle attack.

The room was modest to say the least. A small bed was accompanied by an even smaller bedside table. On the far right of the room was a closet, with no door, and a full length mirror stood to its left.

'Well, this is lovely.' The girl thought as she looked around the room. This room made her place back on the island look like a five star suite, but at least she had a place to sleep. Mayu walked over to the mirror and studied her reflection. She turned from side to side trying to get a better angle of her body. She looked at herself with disappointment; she had a long way to go before she would look anything like her aunt. She placed her hands on her chest in hopes of feeling something, anything. Mayu was only met with more disappointment when she realized she rivaled a washboard when it came to flatness. Ever since leaving the island the blonde realized that reality only led to more discouragement; she was much better off living in her imagination. The young girl closed her eyes and began to twirl, trying to imagine that she was far away from this place and back on the bluff with Kid. She imagined the grass between her toes, the last rays on the sun on her shoulders and that cocky grin on the boy's face that she had come so accustom to.

"What the hell are you doing?"

The voice cut through Mayu's daydream like a blade. Stopping abruptly the young girl opened her eyes to see her aunt standing in the doorway, giving her a very cattish look. The blonde felt her face grow hot under her aunt's eyes. "Nothing."

The woman huffed quietly before speaking, "Well, if you are doing nothing, that means you can come and get to work. Its our busiest time of night."

The girl blinked at the older woman, what would she possibly be able to do in a bar? "What do I do?"

"Do you _ever_ stop asking questions?" The woman rubbed her temples in irritation as though Mayu had asked the stupidest question in the world. "You will be serving drinks."

The girl felt her mouth drop open. Was this woman serious? The ridiculousness of such a suggestion made her want to laugh, but judging by the very serious look on her aunt's face, laughing would not be the best thing to do at that moment.

"Would you come on!" Clara closed the distance between them in a few strides. She took hold of her niece's wrist with an iron grip and proceeded to tug her to the bar. Mayu stumbled as she tried to move her legs fast enough to keep up with her Aunt as they went down the hallway. She was astonished that Clara was even able to move that fast in such high heels.

On entering the bar the girl noticed that there had been a major change in atmosphere in the short time she was gone. Not only had the sinister looking men appear to be enjoying themselves, there were a lot more woman in the room than Mayu had remembered. Each one was dressed in clothing that made the young girl want to look away, and their faces looked like china dolls; bright red lips stood out against the pale facades.

The scenes in the bar made Mayu want to run and hide. The men pulled women onto their laps. The young girl diverted her eyes from the spectacles taking place. Being so young she couldn't fully comprehend what was going on around her, but she had a feeling it wasn't anything good.

"A little scrawnier than I had pictured her. Sure she'll be okay working here?" A woman situated at the bar questioned. To Mayu, the woman was vision. Her red hair draped over her shoulders like velvet and her eyes swirled like green tide pools. The young girl slowly began to feel more self-conscience as the woman studied her. Next to this red head, she felt as though she was nothing more than a gaunt bag of bones, which in her mind, would never possess such beauty and _features_ that this woman had naturally.

"I'm sure she'll beef up after a few weeks." Clara said disregarding any concerns the red head would have brought up. "Now Mayu, you'll be bringing drinks to the men tonight."

Mayu glanced around the room; it was filled with some of the most brutish looking men she had ever seen. Each having something unsettling about them, a huge scar here and a glass eye there, not the type of people the young girl felt like being near. Noticing the young girls hesitation the red head spoke up, "I could help her, after all it is her first day. Not to mention we have a rough crowd in here tonight."

"No Dominique." The older woman's voice came out bitter cold. " You're job is to _entertain_ the men. Now go do your job!"

The red head narrowed her eyes at the raven-haired woman before standing, shooting an apologetic glance in Mayu's direction and then slinking her way over to a large table of very drunk men.

Obviously agitated Clara barked out instructions to her niece. Mayu didn't dare ask a question, she didn't want to set off the woman even more. "It's really not that difficult. The drinks will be placed _here._" Clara smacked the end of the bar to emphasize her point, "Then you take it to the men, over _there._ Got it?"

"Yes."

"Good now get to work." With that Mayu was left standing alone in the dark bar while her aunt ran off to do god knows what.

The night was going much better than the girl had expected. A young man with brown hair, who she had yet to be introduced to, made the drinks and would place them at the end of the bar for her. She would then quietly bring them to the men and hope they didn't pay any attention to her. Luckily, the most notice she had received were nods and grunts of thanks. It would appear that most of the men were far too preoccupied with the other females in the bar to even give her a second glance.

The shadiness of the bar began to set in as Mayu watched the happenings of the night. Every so often one of the China Dolls, as Mayu called them, would lead a man by the hand down the hallway past the bar. It was all very confusing and questionable to the blonde. It was at one moment that night that everything went south. The young girl watched Dominique lead one of the men away; fascinated by the way she could hold his gaze as though he was completely transfixed on her every movement. Pouting slightly at this Mayu felt a little chest fallen, Kid never paid attention to her like that.

However, it was not the best moment for Mayu to be watching after Dominique because, as most would soon come to understand Mayu in fact was an incredible klutz. The floor wasn't very soft when the girls face collided with it. In fact it was anything but soft; the blonde landed with a large thud while the drink she was carrying flew from her hands and shattered on the table.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" Her stomach twisted wildly when the voice boomed over her. She looked up from her place on the floor; her eyes were met by a very angry glare. The man, who was now standing in front of her, had his pants drenched in beer, giving off the impression that he had wet himself. In a different situation Mayu would have found such a sight quiet comical, but the murderous look she was receiving made any humor fizzle out.

The blonde moved to get up only to be caught off guard by something moving very quickly towards her face. It happened so fast her brain hardly had any time to register; the man's foot coming closer to her face, the immense eruption of pain she felt in her cheek, getting up to see her aunt Clara holding a rather large shotgun to the man's head. The whole scene was a mess of colours and shapes as her mind tried to make sense of it. And then Mayu ran, she lifted off the floor with great speed and ran from the bar, away from the pain and chaos.

The tears didn't start flowing until she reached the ally behind the bar. Collapsing onto the small step of the back door, Mayu wailed. Her body shook as waves of sopping breaths escaped her lips. Never in her life had the young girl hated anything more then this place. She wanted to be with Sebastian, with Kid back on her own little paradise. She didn't care anymore that her life had been boring. Mayu just couldn't deal with the harsh reality of what the world was really like.

"You know, you're really ugly when you cry."

Mayu jumped on hearing the voice, turning her head sharply she saw the older boy from the bar. He was looking down at her with a rather amused look on his face. Sniffling, the young girl wiped her swollen eyes with the back of her hands, this was so embarrassing, not only had she been thrown to the wolves but someone other than her brother had seen her ball like a baby.

"Shut up." She murmured, violently sniffing once again. The young boy only chuckled and took a seat beside her on the step.

"In my opinion I thought it was funny." The boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. "That guy really deserved it, a real prick, none of the girls like him."

Mayu stared down at her hands reliving the incident in her mind, the trip, and the look on the man's face, his foot rising and the painful explosion she had felt on her cheek. She had never been hit like that before.

"This place is hell."

The brown haired man glanced at her from the corner of his eye. He was silent for a few moments, after lighting his fag and taking a long drag he turned his head to the girl. "I know." He said in a tone that surprised Mayu.

"If you know that then why are you here?" The blonde felt herself becoming anger. It was bad enough that she was stuck here against her will, but the very thought of this man opting to stay in such a place scrambled her brain. Why would someone purposely torture themselves?

"Sometimes in the game of life we get really shitty hands. I've learned that you just have to make the best of what you are given. Now," the boy stood up and flicked his butt away, "You could stay here and be a sore loser, or you could come inside with me, clean up and hold your head up high like a proud woman." He smiled down at Mayu and held out his hand. She looked at his hand and then back at his face; maybe he was right. She couldn't keep moping, after all what would Kid say if he saw her like this? Taking his hand, Mayu allowed herself to be guided back to the bar. She stopped when she reached the door; the smoke stung her nostrils and she could feel the irritation beginning to set in on her eyes. Taking a calming breath Mayu allowed for the reality of the situation to sink in. This was her new home and there was nothing she could do about it. People in this world had been through a lot worse, and Mayu was not about to be defeated by this little speed bump in the highway of life.

"What's your name?" The girl looked up at her companion, eyes red and squinty from the smoke and tears.

"Haru." He smiled down at her, "So we going to do this?" his head gestured towards the threshold before them.

"Yeah… yeah we are." Taking one last breath the young girl allowed her feet to move her forward, completely embracing what life was going to send her way. She would concur this new life; she had to for Kid.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N** : Hey! Sorry I took such a long time to update, but now as school is reaching its end I will be updating a lot faster, I promise :) I'm not the happiest with the way this chapter turned out, hopefully it won't butcher your eyes too much

Anyways, I would like to thank every one who reviewed, you guys are my favs :3

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece, but you already know that.

* * *

After the drink-spilling incident, Mayu's life at the brothel started to look a little brighter. She had a rather normal childhood you could say; well, as normal as one could be while growing up surrounded by prostitutes.

As time past she started to learn the names of each of the girls who were employed by her aunt Clara. Each had their own unique flare, causing Mayu to re-examine how she had viewed the world.

"I don't like him…" the young girl mumbled to herself as she peered over the bar at an old man sitting across the room. She had been studying the man for a while now, not daring to get any closer than she already was. The man sat hunched over in the chair, his wrinkly hands clasped around the mug like a vice. Discoloured spots decorated his arms and face, white hair poking out from under his dirty hat. Everything about this man seemed to be decrepit; it wasn't until the man brought up his left hand to rub his eye that Mayu squeaked in horror and darted behind the bar. What was left of the man's hand was horribly mangled, the blonde had never seen anything like it before, and it scared her.

"What are you doing?"

Squinting upwards, Mayu saw Dominique looking down at her, a very confused look on her face.

"Hiding." The blonde watched as the older girl furrowed her brow and then as her eye's widened in sudden realization. She looked from Mayu to the place where the man was sitting.

"You're scared of William?" the words escaped the redhead's lips as more of a statement than a question.

"Yes…" Mayu looked down at the floor in front of her suddenly feeling sheepish.

"So, why's that?"

"He's scary..."

"Ah." Dominique said as she lowered herself down to the floor and taking a seat next to Mayu. The older girl knew very well that the whole situation would look odd to a passer by, not that she cared. "You find him scary, because he is different?"

The young girl nodded her head not looking at her friend. She could tell by Dominique's tone that she had done something wrong, not entirely sure what it was, and Mayu worried about what the redhead was going to say. The blonde brought her hand to her head and ran it through her hair, a habit she had developed whenever she felt uncomfortable.

Noticing the girl's discomfort Dominique tried to make her point as quickly as possible. "Really shouldn't fear people just because of their differences. Fearing something just because you don't understand it isn't what smart people do." The older girl looked at Mayu with soft eyes. It was moments like this where Dominique really felt like an older sister.

"But," Mayu opened her mouth, searching for some logical reason she felt anxious around the man, "He's…. old."

On hearing the girl's answer a twinkling laugh left Dominique's lips. At times she forgets how young Mayu actually was, being in a brothel, the redhead had always tried to treat the girl as though she was much older than she really was. On hearing that answer, however, Dominique was reminded that Mayu was still just a child, who didn't full understand the world.

"Is that really your reason?" the older girl asked still laughing quietly, "He can't help being old, and besides, William is one of the nicest people I know. You shouldn't dub him a scary monster before knowing him; if it's the hand that bothers you, he doesn't like it either, but he does have a pretty amazing story about how it happened." Dominique stood ignoring the strange looks as she popped up from behind the bar. Smiling down at Mayu, she held out her hand. "Want to come talk to him with me?"

Looking at the outstretched hand the blonde shook her head. There was no way she was going to go talk to that man.

"Suit yourself." The redhead shrugged walking out into the bar room, and was met by the riotous voices of men awaiting her arrival. Mayu lifted herself onto her feet and began to peer at the old man once again. She narrowed her eyes trying to make sense of what she had been told. After a few minutes Mayu had come to one conclusion: Dominique was crazy and there was no way a man that looked like that could be a good guy, though, she did like amazing stories.

* * *

The years seemed to fly by at the brothel. During her life there Mayu experienced mundane and monumental things that would help to shape her into a young woman. It was one night when Mayu was 11 that a whole new world was brought to her eyes. She had accepted long ago what her aunt's job really entailed, and nothing really bothered her anymore. Though nothing in the world had really prepared her for what was about to happen.

Mayu let out a loud sigh as she finished wiping down the last table. It had been an unnaturally busy night for a Wednesday and the girl was just happy it was over, 3:00am was an ungodly hour to be awake at. She glanced around the room, and when she was finally happy with the cleaning job, Mayu switched off the lights and made her way to the kitchen. The whole night her stomach had been growling so loudly she could have sworn everyone in the bar had heard.

The kitchen was dark when she entered, switching on the light, Mayu made a beeline to the fridge in hopes that there would be something left over from dinner. She shivered slightly when the cold air hit her face. Mayu looked from shelve to shelve for something that would quench her insatiable hunger. A smile appeared on her face when her eyes fell upon the third shelf. Neatly wrapped in cellophane was a large sandwich, _Mayu_ written neatly across the paper plate it was sitting on.

"Thank you Haru," the girl's smile widened as she took a seat and unwrapped the sandwich. Haru, who was also a part-time cook, would always leave Mayu something to eat if she was closing, and the girl loved him for that.

A groan of delight left the girl as she took a bite of the meal. To Mayu, every meal Haru prepared was a little piece of heaven; and she was keeping it all to herself. Raising the sandwich to her mouth once again the girl went to take another bite.

_**CLANK**_

The noise made Mayu stop mid bite. Turning around in her seat she looked around the kitchen cautiously. Her mind ran, trying to find the source of the sound. The noise was far too loud for a mouse and it seemed that nothing had fallen from its respected place. Brushing the sound off as something outside Mayu resumed eating her sandwich.

_**CLANK**_

The girl nearly threw the sandwich on the table. Standing, Mayu walked to the middle of the room and placed her hands on her hips. _Something_ was making that noise and she was going to figure out what it was. After standing for a minute in silence Mayu heard it. _It _being a low whisper coming from the broom closet. Her stomach tightened when she came to the only conclusion she could, _thieves._ The girl darted to the counter and pulled a cooking knife from its holder. The curs had hid away in the closest when they had heard her coming, no doubt about it.

With every step Mayu took more adrenaline pumped through her veins. She wasn't sure if she would be able to stop the scoundrels, but she was determined to give them one good stab. As she approached the door she heard another whisper, followed by heavy breathing. Hand outstretched, the girl hesitated momentarily before pulling the door open with great force, a battle cry roaring from her mouth.

However, The cry was cut short when Mayu was knocked back by something large and heavy falling on her. The girl scurried to her feet and held the knife out threateningly. What she saw nearly caused the blonde to drop the knife in shock. Sprawled out on the floor were two men, two very _naked _men.

One groaned in pain as he sat up on the floor, "Gee Akio I told you the door wasn't going to hold up. Why don't you ever listen?"

The man, named Akio looked up at Mayu with shock. The two stared at each other, not knowing what to do. Akio finally spoke, "I don't think it was the door."

The man on the floor finally noticed the look on his partner's face and also turned to stare at the girl, his mouth hit the floor.

"What's going on?" the voice of aunt Clara boomed into the room as she came speeding through the door way, her token shot gun in hand, followed by most of the girls.

"Oh my." Mayu heard one of the girls utter as they laid eyes on the scene. The blonde felt a hand come to rest on her shoulder and usher her away from the sight. Mayu's eyes were wide as she tried to forget what she had just seen. Though as hard as she tried the image had burned into the back of her eyes. Never again would she want to see a naked man.

Clara was not one to be caught off guard. She prided herself in being someone who was not easily disturbed, but as she stood in the doorway she had never been more disturbed in her life.

The woman cleared her throat, trying to keep her composure, " Haru, what the _hell_ do you think you're doing in _my_ kitchen?"

"Coming out of the closet, apparently." Dominique chirped from somewhere in the crowd.

"Literally." A pink haired girl added before bursting into laughter.

* * *

As the years faded from one to the other it seemed that some of Mayu's memories also seemed to as well. Near the beginning the girl couldn't go a day without thinking of Kid. She longed to be with him again and would think of escape plans each night. Though, as the days turned into months and the months into years, it was harder for the girl to continue to hold onto the memories that seemed to be slipping through her fingers like sand. Eventually any thoughts she had of Kid seemed to be a fantasy or a dream she had along time ago. By the time she was 15 every experience, every adventure that she had with Kid were long forgotten and were replaced by new ones, such as the moment she lost her virginity.

"I'm not sure I can do this, Katashi," her voice came out shaky as she clutched the shoulders of the boy.

He looked down at her with large brown eyes, his tawny hair covering his face slightly. "We can stop if you'd like."

Mayu looked at the boy for a pregnant second before pulling him closer to her, she had come this far, and she couldn't back out now. "No," she whispered into his ear, "I want this."

The blonde clutched at the covers and felt her eyes begin to sting as Katashi moved into her. The pain was almost overwhelming, the girls had told her stories of their first times but never had she thought it would feel as though she was being torn in two.

"Are you okay?" the boys voice sounded urgent to Mayu's ears. She opened her eyes to see the worried face of her lover looking down at her.

"You're crying a river! Did I hurt you? I'm so sorry Mayu," the blabbered.

"It's fine…" she blinked through the tears trying her best to give the tawny haired boy a reassuring smile.

Smiling back down at her the boy began to move his hips slowly but then began to gain speed. The feeling was so brand new; she never knew something would feel this good. Mayu dug her nails into Katashi's back as she let her mind be engulfed in the explosion of feelings and sounds; the heat growing between her legs, the boy's heavy breathing against her neck, and the sound of the door opening (which had just been installed a few days prior.)

The blonde practically threw the Katashi off her. Sitting up in panic, ignoring the protesting sound the boy made, Mayu saw a familiar figure standing in the archway.

"I- I am _so_ sorry." Haru stuttered, red-faced, looking from Mayu to Katashi and back.

"Get out!" her voice cracked as it escaped her throat, never had she been more embarrassed. Haru frantically slammed the door and practically ran down the stairs and back to the bar. Mayu on the other hand, flung the covers over her head and buried her face in the pillow and cried.

"So, was I any good?"

"Shuph Uph." The blonde mumbled into her pillow.

* * *

"Can I have some more ale please?" the old man with the mangle hand asked from his seat at the bar.

"Sure thing William!" Mayu called from the other end. She grabbed the nearest glass, filled it, handed it over to him and resumed wiping down the back counter.

It had been 11 years since she had first come to the brothel and now at age 19, she was right at home. Over the years there had been a few bumps, but she was able to grow with them and turn out just fine. Mayu hummed quietly to herself, totally absorbed in her current task.

"Hey darling."

The voice from behind made her jump. Turning around she was met by the smiling face of her older brother. Over the years Sebastian had changed considerably, he was no longer skinny and lanky, but had filled out and had grown to 6'3". Not that Mayu liked to admit it, her brother had become quite popular with the opposite sex, it drove her insane whenever they went out in public together and she had to fend off countless girls.

"Seb!" the woman smiled at her brother and leaned over the bar to give him a hug. "How are you?"

It had been a while since the blonde had last seen her brother; he was always busy with the Marines; chasing after pirates on the high seas.

"I'm alright." Mayu narrowed her eyes at her brother when he answered. There was something off about him. She watched as he fidgeted restlessly under her watchful gaze. It wasn't like Seb to be uncomfortable, especially around his little sister.

"What's wrong?" she leaned on the counter eyeing the man closely, she was going to get to the bottom of this. Sebastian looked over his shoulder, in an almost paranoid manner before looking his little sister square in the eyes. Mayu was a little taken aback, her brother had never looked at her like that before. His eyes were filled with worry and something else the blonde couldn't quite place, though it wasn't anything good; she could tell by the knot suddenly forming in her gut.

"Take this." The man pulled a neatly folded letter from his pocket and held it out for his sister to take. Mayu eyed the paper suspiciously before reluctantly taking it from her brother's hands.

"What is-"

"Promise you won't open it until tonight." Sebastian looked at Mayu with pleading eyes. "I swear to you it's nothing bad." He added.

"Why do I find that hard to believe?" In truth, the blonde was growing more and more annoyed. It wasn't like her brother to act like this at all and it was starting to make her nervous.

"Please Mayu. Please just trust me on this one okay?"

"Fine." She wasn't sure why she said that. She definitely didn't believe that everything was okay; nothing that had her brother acting like this could be good.

"But I have to go, we're shipping out in a few hours." Sebastian rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, trying his hardest to give Mayu a reassuring smile. " I should be back in a few days, just a short mission, you know? Well, I'll be seeing you."

"Yeah, bye Seb. I love you." The girl frowned slightly as her brother gave a curt nod before turning and stalking towards the door; he had never rejected her love before.

The blonde watched after her brother as he left. There was something wrong and it was driving her insane that she was unable to put a finger on it. 'Maybe he owes someone money, or he got dumped? Did he even have someone to get dumped by?' possibilities ran through Mayu's mind like a wild fire. She leaned against the counter with a sigh of defeat, none of the ideas her mind could muster were right; she could just feel it.

"Would you _look_ at this!" Haru sighed as he walked behind the bar, irritation clear in his voice, "I have never in my life cleaned up as much puke as I just did in the last hour." He slumped beside Mayu on the counter placing his face in his hands.

Mayu gave the man a consoling look. Working floor wasn't always that bad, but on a day like that, she felt bad for him. It was one of the busiest days she had seen in a long time. Every booth and stool was filled with a drunken sailor, cur and any other type of ruffian you could think of.

"You know it could be worse." The woman said trying to cheer her friend up.

" I guess you're right." Haru removed his face from his hands a looked up at Mayu, a mischievous grin working its way onto his lips.

"I always hate when you look at me like that."

The man's eyes lit up like a firework as his smile only broadened.

"I have something to show you." The man dug into his pockets and pulled out a folded slip of paper. Mayu eyed the piece of paper, wondering why it was that men felt the urge to give her folded paper today.

"You're going to _love _it." The man cooed waving the paper in her face. Blinking rapidly the blonde snatched the paper; she had always hated things coming too close to her face. She unfolded the paper and gave Haru a small smile.

"Haru, why do you have this?" Mayu asked looking down at the sheet once again. The face smirked back up at her, its grey eyes encased in dark circles.

"Why, you don't like?" Haru plucked the paper from the blonde and smiled down at it. "He's my new crush."

The woman snorted. Having a crush on an unattainable man was nothing new for Haru, but never had he gone as far as to carry a wanted poster around with him everywhere he went.

"Well, good luck with that." Mayu scoffed as she turned to the large pile of mugs that were starting to grow on the back counter. She stared at them with distain before beginning her long task of cleaning them.

"Why thank you," Haru smiled at her, obviously missing the sarcastic nature of her comment. "He's going to be here soon you know."

Mayu raised her eyebrow slightly, making a small curious sound at the man's statement. After living on the Sabaody for so many years, it was nothing new to have an onslaught of pirates show up. It just surprised her that they would be arriving so soon, everyone would have to be on their toes.

"A lot of big shots should be here within two weeks; X-Drake, Hawkins, Urouge, Scratchman Apoo, Capone, Jewelry Bonney, Eustass Kid and _Trafalgar Law_." The brunette counted the various captains on his fingers, pausing for a moment after saying Law, biting his lip slightly, a motion Mayu decided not to comment on. She loved Haru dearly, but his obsessions were always on the annoying side. Every conversation she would have with him would somehow relate to his love interest of the moment; even if they were discussing the best way to get blood out of a pillowcase.

Hopefully, Mayu prayed, she would be able to make it through the night without having to talk about how great the Surgeon Of Death's ass looked in jeans, a topic her friend was sure to bring up.

The door creaked slightly as the blonde turned the knob and pushed it open. It had been a long night and she wanted nothing more than to collapse on her bed and never get up again. Mayu walked sluggishly over to the small bed and flopped face down onto the covers. Relief washed over her aching body. Never had she seen a group of marines that could drink as much as the bunch that had come in. They had arrived around midnight, and the bartender had expected them to leave within the hour, judging by the fact that there faces were already slightly pink and their speech slurred. But by the time 5 AM hit Mayu wanted nothing more than to take a barrel of ale and shove it down each of the men's throats.

The woman turned onto her back, a faint crinkling sound coming from her pocket. Her hand quickly retrieved the piece of paper. With all the energy she had spent on willing the men to leave, she had completely forgotten about the note Sebastian had given her. She opened the folding message and stared at the cursive writing that decorated it:

_**I Love You, Mayu. And I'm sorry.**_

Those were the only words that her brother had written to her. Mayu looked at the paper with a blank expression.

"_What?"_ the woman's voice came out much louder than she had intended it to. Not that she really cared at the moment; she was more preoccupied with wanting to go punch her brother in the teeth. It wasn't the shortness of the letter that made her so angry, though it helped; it was the fact that it left her mind spinning with so many questions. _What_ was he sorry for exactly? And why would he feel the need to apologize for what ever _it_ was.

Mayu shoved the note back into her pocket and glared at the ceiling. She hated not knowing what was going on, and by the letter and the way Sebastian was acting, she was starting to figure that whatever _was_ going on was something big. Something _very_ big.

* * *

** A/N:** Well I hope your eyes are still all good, anyways I have a fun fact I would like to share with you, Katashi actually means "Hard or firm." I thought it was a very suiting name, considering how he was introduced. Some of you may be getting impatient with the fact Kid has yet to come back into the story, but I promise you, the red-head will be making an appearance _very_ soon.


	7. Chapter 7

I think I owe everyone an apology. I am _so_ sorry this took so long to update, and I'm going to be completely honest with you. The reason for such a long absents is I had the worst case of writer's block I have ever had. Which I am happy to inform you is gone now! Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Also a special thanks to: _Anon, fearlessX1025, Flower power.u know u lik it, noface, illlee123, KittyWillCutYou, Clumsy0132, Neeky-chan, anime pup, Henna89,_ Raziri123, _Ladyktbaby, G_, and _Katcitten_ for all your kind words. You guys make me smile ! :)

* * *

"A little vague, isn't it?" Haru turned the paper over in his hands; he had scanned every inch of the paper and still had no idea why Sebastian would leave such a mind-boggling letter to Mayu. After all, everyone who knew the woman knew she hated when she wasn't in the know. And with each passing moment Haru could tell the situation was eating away at his friend.

"You think?" Mayu ran her hand through her hair harshly, she couldn't sleep all night; her mind was a chaotic mess. It would churn from thoughts of what Sebastian was doing to how much she wanted to wring his neck.

Biting her nails the woman took a seat next to Haru at the bar. "This is ridiculous." She sighed not knowing what to do anymore. For all she knew Sebastian could have run off and gotten married or joined a cult.

"I'm sure we'll figure this out. I mean it is _Sebastian_ after all, what kind of trouble could he get into? There isn't a bad bone in that man's body."

Mayu raised her eyebrows at Haru in agreement. He did have a point; after all the worse thing she could think of her brother doing was skipping out on training to come see her on her birthday. However, as the two sat in silence, the blonde couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong.

"But if its bothering you that much," The brunette lifted himself off the bar stool and placed at hand on Mayu's shoulder. You could always go down to the marina and see if anyone has heard anything."

The woman thought of this proposition for a moment; it couldn't hurt to go see if the sailors had heard any news.

"I guess I could do that."

"But seriously Mayu, what's the worst that could have happened?"

The woman nodded as she made her way to the exit. She needed to get to the bottom of this.

The day was cool as Mayu made her way to the marina, but she had to admit; she couldn't shake the feeling of unease people seemed to be giving off. Living in the lawless zone was not the easiest task, nor did you usually find an individual that could be easily spooked. However, with the arrival of the Super Novas the burliest man could be easily intimidated.

The blonde glanced around at the buildings around her; they no longer caused the same affect on her as they did when she was a child. The once sinister figures had turned too familiar faces, most being patrons of her aunts bar. It was kind of funny how something that once so terrifying could become something that was part of her everyday life.

On reaching the marina Mayu was a little bit confused, it was almost completely deserted. The once bustling pier had come to resemble a ghost town.

"Hello?" the woman called out uncertainly; not really sure on what to do with herself.

She stood still for a minute waiting for any signs of life or for someone to answer her call.

"Can I help you?" The voice made Mayu jump out of her skin. Turning around, the woman held up her hands protectively. A rather skinny man was settled in front of her, cocking a curious brow at the strange reaction he had received from the woman. Lowering her arms, Mayu brushed the front of her shirt trying to recompose herself.

"Where is everyone?"

"They all took off." The man said annoyance clear in his voice, "Supernovas got them spooked."

"Oh…" Mayu trailed off, "Well I came down here for a reason."

"Is that so?" The man began looking at his nails, making to very clear he was not interested in what the woman before him had to say. It was at this point that the blonde was becoming rather perturbed. One of the things she hated most in this world was being treated as a nuisance.

"Yes, I was wondering if you have heard any news of my brother, Sebastian Sasaki? He was sent out on a Marine ship from here not too long ago."

On hearing her words the man's eyes widened for a second before he looked down at his feet. Mayu shivered slightly; a rather unnerving feeling had settled over the two.

It was a pregnant second before the man looked up at her. His eyes were filled with compassion and even a little regret. As though he wished he hadn't answered her.

"I'm very sorry," The man began looking away uncomfortably, "But your brother, he's dead."

It was like the world had come to a lurching halt. Mayu stood staring at the man in front of her. She couldn't believe what he had just said to her. 'He's lying' the words burned in her mind like fire. But why would someone lie about such a thing? Could people truly that cruel?

"Miss, I'm very sorry... A letter was supposed to be sent to your residences this morning. I'm afraid to inform you that the ship your brother was serving on was sunk." The man looked at the woman before him with pity. She didn't want his pity; the only thing Mayu felt like doing was dying. She never thought she could feel like this. It seemed that she was being torn apart from the inside; breathing seemed to cut and each beat of her heart only intensified the pain. The woman tried to focus but found that her eyes would not. They blurred and stung as streams of tears flowed from each. Mayu tried to open her mouth to speak but only managed a few choking noises that even sounded pathetic to her. The reality of the situation was too much for her, so she ran.

The blonde turned from that man and ran as fast as she could. The world blew past her in an array of colours and sounds as she made her way home.

'He's not dead. He's not dead' the words were almost a chant in Mayu's head as she flung the front door open, not even stopping to answer the questioning looks that she was receiving from both her aunt and Haru.

"Hey!" a rather drunk girl slurred as Mayu pushed past her to get to her bedroom. She needed to be away from everything.

A rattling breath escaped her lips as she slid down the wall of her room. Each breath she took felt like her last as her chest tightened it felt as though she was dying.

Hours seemed to slip by agonizingly slow; though as time past Mayu felt the tightness in her begin to let up and a welcome numbness took its place. Along with the stupor came a wave of sleep. The woman's eyes began to close slowly as the room around her faded into a calming black.

Whiteness. As the blonde stood that was all she could see. Mayu held a hand up to face trying to shield her eyes from the intense light that seemed to be coming from all around her.

"Where am I?" she asked aloud, not really expecting anyone to answer her question.

'Where am I?' Mayu jumped slightly at the sound of her own echo, it seemed to be reverberating off the non-existent walls around her, growing louder by the second. Hissing, she threw her hands up to cover her ears. She wasn't entirely sure where she was but at that moment Mayu would have rather been anywhere other than there.

"I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming!" the blonde squatted down and brought her head to her knees. It was bad enough that Sebastian was gone but now she would have to deal with this horrible dream.

"Mayu, what are you doing?" The voice was cold but somehow very familiar to the blonde. Looking up she saw the person she had least expected. Standing before her was an elderly woman; sporting one of her flowing skirts and the same condescending look that had struck fear into Mayu's childhood.

"Grandma?" Mayu stared up at the woman in disbelief. There was no doubting it now; this was a _very_ bad dream.

"Will you look at you!" The old woman exclaimed throwing her hands in the air and deepening her look of disapproval, "I did not raise you to act like such a little pansy; get off the ground you are embarrassing yourself."

The younger woman raised herself from the ground slowly. She wasn't entirely sure how to react. It had been years since she had seen her grandmother and true to her reputation the old woman skipped the loving reunion and went straight to the insults.

Mayu ran her hand through her hair, not entirely sure what to do. She decided it would just be best to let the woman rip a piece off her, even in a dream her grandmother was still the scariest woman alive. The blonde stood sheepishly as she watched her grandmother pace angrily in front of her.

"I can't believe you would act like such a spineless jellyfish. _YOU _of all people. I would have expected this from Sebastian but not you." Mayu winced slightly was the other woman jabbed her roughly in the chest with her finger.

"Ow!" she cried rubbing the tender spot.

"Ow is right! What happened to that little girl I knew so well? She would have never sat down and taken it. _She_ would be out there doing something about this!"

By this moment Mayu was fully confused. Not only by her white surroundings, or how the echoes magically decided to stop, but also more about what her grandmother was talking about. "Grandma…" she began slowly, "I'm sorry, but I'm not entirely sure what it is exactly you are talking about." The sentence came out painfully slow as though Mayu was stepping on eggshells.

"I'm talking about Sebastian, dear."

"Sebastian?"

"Yes Mayu, he's alive, and I telling you that you're going to go get him before he does something stupid and _actually _gets himself killed."

"_What?_"

"Sweetheart, close your mouth, it's not attractive to gape."

"I don't believe you!" Mayu cried her voice cracking. She couldn't believe that a dream this cruel could even exist. "There is no way this is real. You're dead and so is Sebastian, he drowned and there is nothing I can do to bring him back!" Tears of sadness and anger began to fall from the young woman's eyes.

"Will you stop with your bitching?" The coldness had returned in the old woman's voice and a very dangerous air had suddenly formed around her plump frame. "I have come all the way here to try and help you and what do I have to work with? You've turned into some little baby." The large woman grabbed Mayu by the front of her shirt and pulled her face very close. The blonde blinked rapidly trying to focus her eyes on the wrinkled face.

"Sebastian is alive. Can't you feel it? If he were dead you would be in far more anguish. That's what I thought. You knew he wasn't dead, you just weren't listening to your own heart."

Mayu listened very closely to the words her grandmother was saying, and finally began to realize. At the back of her mind she had a nagging feeling that something was amiss. Though she had suppressed the feeling, brushing it off as just a pitiful wish. At last, she finally understood, Sebastian couldn't be dead; the feeling in her heart was telling her so. Mayu slumped onto her knees as the older woman released the front of her shirt.

"But how am I supposed-"

"There are a lot ships in the marina now a days." Her grandmother answered smiling down at her in a very uncharacteristic way. "But you should get going, I hear the ships will be leaving soon. Something very big is about to happen." With that the old woman turned to leave but stopped when Mayu opened her mouth to speak.

"This is all a dream, right?" the blonde asked

"Well of course it is dear. How else would your dead grandmother come and talk to you?"

A gasped escaped her lips as she sat up in bed abruptly. Mayu clutched her head with one hand, trying to make sense of what had just happened to her, or rather, what had just happened inside her head. After getting her thoughts straight Mayu had come to one very unbelievable conclusion, her dead grandmother had just come to her in a dream ordering her to sneak on the nearest ship to go find Sebastian in the New World. The woman who had become the looming figure of her childhood had just ordered her to take on a task that was as dangerous as it was stupid.

'Am I really going to take the word of a dead woman who could have been entirely fabricated by my own mind?' Mayu pondered her own question for a few seconds. Her brows creased as she weighted each option. It was true that if she was going to take up such a quest there was around a 99.9% chance she was going to die a horrible and probably very painful death. But, the chance that Seb was still alive brought the blonde to her final answer. Was she stupid enough to do this? Hell yeah she was.

* * *

She had planned everything out and with a little luck she would be able to make it onto the ship without alarming any crewmembers.

The room was dimly light as Mayu leaned over her bed, filling her small bag with a few last minute things.

"What are you doing?" The voice came from behind and made the woman jump. She hadn't expected anyone to catch her in the act of escape; she had truly hoped that she would be able to slip away without getting any notice. Mayu zipped up her bag and turned to face the owner of the voice. Haru, who was standing a few feet away looked at his friend with squinty eyes.

"I'm leaving." The woman puffed out her chest a little as she made her way towards the man. She wasn't about to let him stop her from finding Sebastian.

"And going where?" The man grabbed the younger woman's arm as she tried to pass him. Mayu was surprised at the strength the man was applying to her arm, he had never laid a finger on her before and the sudden force was making her nervous. If worst came to worse the blonde knew this man would be able to stop her, and she wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

"I'm going to find Sebastian."

Haru stared at the woman before him, not sure how to react

"Mayu, you do realize that Sebastian is gone right...?"

"No he's not. He can't be… it doesn't _feel _like he is."

Haru stood and watch the women give him a very defiant look. He wasn't quite sure if he should continue listening to his friend's story or shake all the nonsense right out of her.

"So, you're leaving to find your brother, based entirely off a feel?" The words even sounded more ridiculous to his ears when he spoke them, Mayu had to be kidding him. The defiant look on the blondes face faltered slightly. It was clear to Haru that she was contemplating something; her cheeks grew pink and her eyes were cast down to the ground.

"Its not just a feeling." The once confident air was replaced with one that sounded almost embarrassed, "I had a dream. My grandmother told me he was alive and that I have to go get Seb and bring him back."

If it were physically possible of Haru's jaw to hit the floor it would have. If asked if he believed in the paranormal and unexplainable phenomena the brunette would smile warmly at you and answer with a very loud 'Yes!' However, as he stood there in front of his dear friend, Haru wasn't entirely sure if he could believe the words coming from Mayu's mouth. Though there was little doubt in his mind of such occurrences, he just wasn't very sure about how to deal with it.

He paused for a pregnant second before speaking, Haru had decided that it would be best to let Mayu go out on her own; find her own way. He could tell by the look on her face that nothing in this world would be able to sway her.

"Do you really think you'll be able to find him?"

"Yes." Mayu looked into her friend's eyes, willing him to let her go. He needed to trust her on this. She knew Sebastian was alive and she _knew_ she would be able to find him and bring him back in one piece.

Haru exhaled heavily as he let go of her arm, "You are one stubborn fuck, you know that, right?"

The woman beamed up at the man; standing on her toes she gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "Thank you so much Haru." She whispered before darting down the hallway.

Haru watched as Mayu disappeared from sight. He stood in silence listening to the front door open with a creek and then being closed with an almost inaudible click. He chuckled to himself slightly, reaching into his pocket he pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

"You better find him, darling." The man spoke softly to himself, "If you don't and you end up getting killed, Clara is going to cut my dick off."

When the humid night air hit her face, the sudden realization of the task she was undertaking settled over her. If she were going to succeed in her mission Mayu would have to over come very unlikely odds. She had heard many stories of stowaways on ships, but none of said stowaways ever had to endure the turbulent path under the Red Line.

Her walk to the shipyard was quiet. Too quiet for Mayu's liking, it was rather odd that no one was around even at such an ungodly hour. The once riotous bars had grown silent and not even one hooligan was out that night. The woman eyed the dark buildings as she passed almost expecting one of them to burst with life. 'The Supernovas really have everyone on their toes.' Mayu thought to herself as she crept around an old pub situated near the entrance to the docks.

She scanned the water, looking for the perfect boat to make her way onto. Then she saw it, floating near the far right was the _one_. It's silhouette cast an almost eerie feel throughout the whole docks, as though it was much more than just a ship.

"Here me go…" Mayu whispered readying herself for the adventure that lay before her. With one last calming breath, the woman dashed from her hiding place and towards her ticket out of the Sabaody.

* * *

In her mind the plan had been perfect. Nothing could have foiled it and there was absolutely no way she would mess up. But as she sat in the dark compartment, crunched over with her bag placed on her head, Mayu was beginning to doubt herself. The once brilliant plan had become one she had started to fully regret. Nowhere in her original plan had there been _pickles_, but yet there they were floating happily around her. At first the smell had stung her nostrils but after a while the woman barely noticed it anymore. The woman sat in the barrel with her knees tight against her chest. She shifted; uncomfortable as she felt the pain in her back spread to her legs and shoulders. Mayu knew that she had been in the barrel for maybe a day at the most, but each passing second began to feel like a century.

The woman careful removed her wedged arm from her side and brought it to the top of her head. She reached into the bag, she felt like a fool, but there was no other dry place to put it. Mayu pulled out a bottled of water and raised it to her dry lips.

Nothing. Not one drip of water came from the bottle to relieve her. Grunting angrily the blonde tossed the bottle into the juices around her. She wasn't entirely sure how, but she knew she would have to get out of her confines sooner than later. The demon of impatience had over taken her; she glared at the lid of the barrel willing it to pop off by itself. It was at that moment her stomach gave out an almost animalistic gurgle. Clutching her stomach she frowned; she knew she was going to have to find food soon, and the idea of eating the pickles made her insides churn unpleasantly. From what Mayu could tell it was nighttime. The ship had quieted down and there was no sign or sound coming from the crewmembers. She took a calming breath as she peaked out the top of the barrel. The room was dark, but as she lifted the lid more the smell of food over powered any fear she might have been feeling. After lowering herself from her perch she sneaked her way towards the tall shelves.

Her eyes bulged greedily as they saw the splendour in front of them. Shelves upon shelves of cookies and cakes stood before her. Whoever owned this ship sure had a sweet tooth; but now every cake belonged to her. Another painful pang urged her hand towards the sugary treats. Mayu began to shovel anything she could get her hands on into her mouth. Never in her life had see been so unbelievably hungry, and she was about to eat until her hearts content. Wrappers piled up at her feet as she continued to gorge herself.

It wasn't until she noticed a line of light appear on the shelves did she stop eating. Cake halfway to her mouth; she turned slowly to see a dark figure standing in the doorway behind her. Mayu swallowed with a hard gulp and stared at the figure that was considerably taller than her. Lucky for her, the figure seemed to be as shocked as she was to find someone staring at them.

"Wh-" The man said confusion lanced in his voice. But before he could continue his sentence Mayu shot past him into the hallway, throwing all care to the wind. Escape was the one thing on her mind at this point. Mayu knew that she had to get off the ship no matter what the cost. She darted down the long hallway past various wood doors. The noise must have woken the crewmembers and they were sure to be hot on her tail by now.

Cool air hit her face as she threw open the doors at the end of the hallway. Once on the deck she ran to the starboard side in hope of lifeboat. Hanging over the side all Mayu could see was the dark churning abyss of the ocean below. Defeat washed over her and her throat grew tight. Turning around quickly she let out a surprised gasp as she collided with something hard and warm. Mayu landed on her butt with a thud, wincing slightly from the impact, she looked up at the man she had run into and who was now looming over her. Her eyes stung as she looked up into the pale, sadistic face looking down at her, an atrocious smile stretched across it. The mere sight of this man made the blonde begin to cry, she had seen this man before, Eustass Captain Kid.


	8. Chapter 8

Hello everyone !

Sorry it took so long to update and I'm also sorry that this chapter is on the shorter side. I felt that updating was a must. Anyways, I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, favourited, and put this story on their alert list. You make me smile and feel all fuzzy inside :)

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. End of Story.

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Fear. It was the one emotion that seemed to be overtaking Mayu's entire body. It had spread from the pit of her stomach, through her veins and up to her throat. She tried to scream as the man drew closer, his smile spreading in sadistic pleasure, but the only sounds Mayu could muster were small choking squeaks.

"Well, what do we have here?" The man standing before the woman finally spoke. His voice was almost mocking, with a tone as though he was godly, in his own mind.

"A stowaway?" A man in the back of the group called out, his blue dreads framing his face. Mayu's eyes darted from one looming figure to the next; she fought desperately to gather her thoughts but they seemed to slip away when a cold clammy hand wrapped itself around her neck.

A retched choke poured from the woman's throat as she was lifted from the deck and hung over the side of the ship. It was at the moment the tears began to flow. They burned in her eyes and trickled down her cheeks and on to the Captain's fist.

"What a stupid _wench_." The man growled at her, a sadistic smirk beginning to spread across his face.

The blonde brought her hands up to the man's arm and tried with all her might to pry him off. His arm didn't budge and her feebly attempt to fight back only made the man laugh. It was a deep laugh that made Mayu's blood run cold.

"So what should I do with her?" Kid turned his head to his crew open for suggestions.

The woman whimpered when the crew began to voice their opinions, "Decapitate her!," "Tie her to the bottom of the ship," "Throw her overboard." Were only some of the ideas that reached the woman's ears.

"P-please, please don't" the words left her throat in a choking almost inaudible sound. As she hung over the edge, she could feel reality starting to fade and darkness closing in on her eyes.

The redhead snapped his head back in her direction, his smile replaced with a look of contempt. "Do you really think your pathetic pleas will do you any good?" Kid's eyes had grown dark and his grip around Mayu's neck tightened. "You're on the ship of the _Kid Pirates_!" On hearing this exclamation the crew cheered loudly.

"I'll do anything," the woman begged, tears still streaming down her face. "Anything you want me to, please just don't" Mayu stared into her capture's face, praying that he would let her down and not throw her to her death. As she looked at his face it seemed as though a hundred different emotions were fleeting through him, his once dark eyes started to lighten slightly and she could have sworn there was a look of refrain.

What happened next was a blur; the sudden ability to breathe properly, her butt hitting the deck with a thud and then being roughly pulled to her feet by someone.

"Bring her to the kitchen." Kid barked striding away back to his room, not even giving the woman a second glance.

It was at that moment Mayu felt herself began partly dragged towards the hallway by the man with the blue dreads and tattoos. On reaching the door, she was pushed inside.

Mayu massaged her arm slowly, her eyes glazed over as she stared straight ahead but yet not seeing anything. The past few minutes had seemed like they had taken hours, the sneers and leering looks had swallowed her frame up and made her want nothing more than to jump into the icy waters below. Perhaps there she would have found reprieve from the monsters that occupied this ship.

The scene played over and over again in her head; his hand closing around her neck, the feeling of being lifted from the ground and the over all trepidation she felt as she was dangled over the side of the ship.

The woman gulped down the acid that was slowly crawling up her throat. She wasn't about to show weakness in front of these men again, though she knew, she would from here on out be an easy target. Her own actions had dug her a grave, if the begging hadn't been enough the tears were.

Mayu ran her hand through her hair harshly not caring about the pain she was inflicting on her scalp, it was a distraction from everything going on around her. She shakily walked over to the large wooden table in the middle of the room, trying to get her bearings. The kitchen itself was a sight to be hold, piles of dirty dishes almost reached the ceiling and cupboards hung open, spilling their contents onto the floor and counters. Her stomach twisted at the sight of the rotten food caked onto the dishes. At this moment, she would have preferred to be anywhere but on this ship.

A loud noise followed by riotous laughter made Mayu jump. Turning around quickly she stared at the door with wide eyes, praying whoever made that sound didn't come in. The woman's pulse slowed as she heard the heavy footsteps fade away. Biting her lip, the blonde shuffled over to the task at hand.

The sink was barely visible under the mountains of squalid ceramic. The woman felt like crying when she touched the first dish, food stuck to her hands like glue and gave off the most disgusting smell. Breathing through her mouth, Mayu continued to remove items one by one from the sink until it was visible. The taps screeched slightly in protest as she turned them on, letting the hot water cleanse all impurities that had made the sink their home.

After locating a sad looking rag underneath a large pot the woman started to clean. She felt her arms grow tired as she scrubbed at so many pans and pots that she lost count. Her body was beginning to grow weary and her eyes heavy. Mayu was exhausted, she had received very little sleep in the barrel and now she was being put to work like a slave. With every cry a muscle gave the woman would see the captain's face. The smirk that had been carved into his features, the condescending tone he had used with her and worst of all; his laugh. A laugh only heard when a person was enjoying someone else's pain to the best of their ability. How she hated the man, though for some reason she couldn't shake what she had seen. It had only been for a split second, but there had been something in the red heads eyes as he dangled her over the edge something that she couldn't quite place.

A heavy sigh escaped chapped lips as Mayu placed the last dish in the clean pile. Sliding down the side of the counter the blonde came to rest on the floor, not ever wanting to move again. Sleep was the one thing she craved the most and would do anything for. Lids began to close over hazel eyes she felt her head begin to bob forward.

"Hey." The voice was harsh and cold enough to shake the woman from her slumber. Groggily, Mayu looked up at the man that was standing in the doorway. He was tall and lanky, his blonde hair cascading down to his lower back, poka-dot shirt exposing his chest. The one thing that stood out about this man however was the blue and white mask he was wearing.

"Come with me."

The woman looked up at the man for a minute, a little hesitant to go with him. However, as he moved slightly towards her she quickly got to her feet. Without saying anything the man walked out the door, confused, Mayu followed after him.

The walk down the hallway was a silent one, something the woman preferred. She eyed the man's back as he led her to god knows where. It was slightly astonishing to her that a man would allow his hair to grow so long, and let alone take such good care of it. Mayu scrunched her nose it seemed that everyone on this ship was odd; from the haircuts to steel-toed leather boots.

"Here." The masked man stopped abruptly in front of the door, "Take a shower, the captain doesn't want you running around like _that_."

The woman nodded and ducked past the man and into the room to his right. When the click of the door closing hit her ears, Mayu let out a sigh of relief. Though it was silly, the fact that a door separated her from the rest of ship brought a very comforting sense of security.

The bathroom was small and only contained a small sink with a mirror, toilet and shower that seemed to be lacking any form of door or curtain. Lucky for her this room was far cleaner than the kitchen.

After turning the lock on the door the blonde walked over to the mirror, she cringed when she saw her own reflection. She looked ghastly pale and dark black and purple circles sat under her eyes from the lack of sleep, her blonde hair hung raggedly around her ears and she could almost see the dirt clinging to every strand. Mayu brought a hand up to touch her face, seeing if the person in the mirror was really her. Rubbing her eyes the blonde came to one conclusion, she had never looked more hideous in her life. She scanned her face until her eyes came to rest on her neck. A bruise had begun to form in the shape of a handprint, frowning at the mark, the woman poked at the blemish gingerly. It was at that moment Mayu felt something that she hadn't felt since she came to this ship. Anger. She was angry with Eustass Kid and with herself. Before any of this she would have never had allowed her self to sink to the level of begging and never would she had allowed to be beaten so badly. Her fingers clenched the edge of the sink as she continued to stare at the mark. There was only one thing she was certain about at this moment, she needed to find Sebastian and get off that hellhole of a ship as fast as possible.

* * *

The knife twirled slowly in the air, catching the light of a nearby candle and reflecting it back at the man that controlled it. Kid sat in his large armchair, feet propped up on the mahogany desk before him. His brow was creased in thought as he watched the knife dance. The night's happenings had come to confuse him, and he was someone who did not like being confused.

Why had he let that girl live? The thought flicked through his mind various times that night and he was sure the whole crew was asking the same question. Kid had built himself a reputation of being bloodthirsty and ruthless and yet for some reason he had allowed a pathetic woman to stay on his ship. It was mind-boggling.

The knife gave one last twirl before falling to the floor with a loud thud. The red head sat up in his chair abruptly with a look of sudden enlightenment. He had finally decided as to why he had let such a creature dirty his ship. Eustass Kid was a man that lived his life through impulse; if he wanted something he would take it, if he wanted you dead he won't bat an eyelash. In his own mind, Kid had let the woman live on one of the impulses that seemed to rule over his existence. The man relaxed and leaned back in his chair once again, a smirk of pride wriggled its way onto his lips. Kid was quite pleased with himself; after all he had always wanted someone to do his laundry.


	9. Chapter 9

Hello there Ladies and Gents!

Not sure if you guys really care but,

So, here's the thing. I am aware that I have been gone for an incredibly long time, and I know that can be extremely annoying. I am very sorry about that, I got caught up in school and family issues, causing this story to take a backseat. I have recently tried to write some more, I've reread the story over and over but don't seem to have an idea of how I want to continue this. Thus I have decided to revamp it. I'm going to keep the same idea, but hopefully by restarting I'll be able to find a better direction for this story. I love Kid, and he deserves to have a good story written about him, I don't want to half-ass this. So I am going to take some time and rethink this. Not sure if you're interested, but you can expect the first chapter to be up by the 17th of December. That will be when all my exams are finished and I will actually have time to myself. Sorry once again for being gone for so long!


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